5 Gothics I Like and 5 Gothics I Want to Read

I've been so into Gothics lately. I don't know what it is. I'm just in a very spooky but romantic mood. I want to read all the Gothics. Some of my favourite novels are Gothics and in general, I feel like Gothics are a very underappreciated genre. I could be wrong but I don't think I've ever read a Gothic that I hated. Just to keep this post concise, I'm only doing five books I liked and five I want to read. There are so many I want to read but I'll just keep it simple for now. Also, I used Goodreads to confirm that these books are in fact Gothics. If I get any of them wrong, don't blame me. Blame Goodreads. 

5 Favourite Gothics

Beyond the Sea

“I no longer believed in curses, but I did believe that to live was to suffer. However, it was the sweet, heart fluttering moments like this, and the exhilaratingly exciting ones scattered in between, that made all the darkness, all the pain and the anguish worth it.”

I bought this for a very specific reason. That reason being I wanted to read this in the dead of winter while it was cold and snowing outside and I could sit in my new little reading chair and I could be a moody young adult. This did not come to fruition. My plans were foiled. It did not snow very much in Vancouver this year, my new reading chair is not very comfy, also my cat decided that my reading chair is actually hers and I listened to the audiobook. I wouldn't change anything about the experience though. A woman with a lovely Irish accent read this mysterious, romantic book to me. It was one of my favourite books of 2020. If you have a chance, I would highly recommend the audiobook. It's great for if you don't know how to pronounce Irish names. Which I don't.

Jane Eyre

“I am no bird; and no net ensnares me: I am a free human being with an independent will.”

This is an OG favourite of mine. I originally read it because it was mentioned in the Infernal Devices trilogy. Didn't think I was really going to enjoy it as much as I did. I read this while I was literally at Niagra falls. My aunt got so mad at me since we went all the way to Niagra Falls to see this great wonder of the world just for me to spend half the time reading this one on my phone. No regrets. 

Frankenstein

“If I cannot inspire love, I will cause fear!”

I just recently read this for a class and I really loved it. Mostly cause I really just like Mary Shelley. And her mother. I wrote a whole paper about Mary Wollstonecraft's possible influence on this book. It was a great time. 

The Cask of Amantillado

“He did not perceive that my smile now was at the thought of his immolation.”

So this isn't technically a book, but a short story. If you haven't read it yet, you are missing out. I love revenge. It is a great revenge story. You can find it probably out there on the internet. It's like a five-minute read and just leaves you wondering about the context. I mean, this is simply iconic behaviour.

Stalking Jack the Ripper

“Roses have both petals and thorns, my dark flower. You needn’t believe something weak because it appears delicate. Show the world your bravery.”

I love the girlies with morbid pastimes. There is something so satisfying about having this girl who should be really prim and proper being a medical examiner. Goals. More iconic behaviour. Living for it. Live your best life, my dude. If you haven't read this yet, what are you waiting for? I promise it is so easy to read. It's so easy to get into. Even if you aren't really interested in the Jack the Ripper killings. I am in that same boat. I am not interested in those whatsoever, but this book got me interested. 

5 I Want to Read

Rebecca

I accidentally watched the newish movie version of this without realizing it was based on the book and I am now invested. This is actually on the reading list for a summer class I'm taking so I will be reading this one very soon. I'm very excited to do so. I'm constantly hearing about how this book has one of the best first lines.

Mexican Gothic

Everyone and their mother are talking about this book. It has a beautiful cover and an intriguing storyline. I'm constantly hearing jokes about American Gothics and English Gothics, but I really have no idea what a Mexican gothic would be like. I'm so excited to read something new. This sounds like it would be right up my alley. 

The Year of the Witching

Perfect mix of gothic and witches. You guys know how I feel about my witches. I love me some witches. This one is also being talked about by everyone and their mother. 

The Shadow of the Wind

I've heard nothing but good things about this book. I've been meaning to read it for years and it sounds amazing. Like I literally don't think I've ever heard someone say they hate this book or even mildly dislike it. 

The Governess

This book seems like the perfect blend of trashy romance and intriguing plotline, you know? You know. Sometimes regular old romances are boring. You gotta add a little darkness and mystery. Really spices things up. 

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Sadie Spoiler Free Review

Sadie
by Courtney Summers

Release Date: September 4th, 2018

Synopsis:

A missing girl on a journey of revenge and a Serial-like podcast following the clues she's left behind.

Sadie hasn't had an easy life. Growing up on her own, she's been raising her sister Mattie in an isolated small town, trying her best to provide a normal life and keep their heads above water.

But when Mattie is found dead, Sadie's entire world crumbles. After a somewhat botched police investigation, Sadie is determined to bring her sister's killer to justice and hits the road following a few meager clues to find him.

When West McCray—a radio personality working on a segment about small, forgotten towns in America—overhears Sadie's story at a local gas station, he becomes obsessed with finding the missing girl. He starts his own podcast as he tracks Sadie's journey, trying to figure out what happened, hoping to find her before it's too late.

Courtney Summers has written the breakout book of her career. Sadie is propulsive and harrowing and will keep you riveted until the last page.

My Thoughts:

I received an ARC through Netgalley for an honest review

I gave this story 4.5 stars. It was a wild ride. One of the only thriller/mystery novels I truly enjoyed. It’s heartbreaking and exhilarating all at once.

One of the genres I have a harder time reading is mystery/thrillers. They can be pretty hit or miss for me. Sadie was a hit. The way the story was told, half through Sadie’s perspective and half through a podcast. 

True Crime is one of my favorite topics. I love watching documentaries and reading up on them, just looking at all the facts and trying to see if I can come to some sort of conclusion. Or just being along for the ride. If you are also interested in that kind of stuff, then I would recommend you read Sadie.

Our book centers around a girl, Sadie, obviously. Her sister has just been murdered, the investigation was botched, and Sadie is now on the warpath. She knows who killed her sister and she a plan, but first she needs to find him.

This book successfully did what a lot of other books like it could not. I felt a deep connection to the characters and their story, a lot of the time when I read thrillers/mysteries, the characters are all horrible and I have a hard time respecting any of them or feeling basic emotions for their stories. Sadie really had a very grounded feeling.

I personally don’t actually listen to podcasts, they just aren’t my thing. This story is written for people that do enjoy podcasts and even some that don’t. I’m not going start listening to podcasts, don’t get me wrong, but I did enjoy the freshness that the podcast brought. It added in many angles for the reader. It wasn’t just what Sadie had to say, it’s what everything looked like from the outside. It was these people that were affected by the story trying to piece together what exactly happened. It showed the after effects that Sadie never saw. 

The ending is really up for interpretation, but at the same time, I feel like we all know what happened. It really depends on if you’re more of an optimist or a pessimist.

If you're interested in reading this, it's out today! 

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This Heart of Mine Spoiler Free Review

This Heart of Mine
by C. C. Hunter

Release Date: February 27th, 2018

Synopsis:

A new heart saved her life—but will it help her find out what really happened to its donor?

Seventeen-year-old Leah MacKenzie is heartless. An artificial heart in a backpack is keeping her alive. However, this route only offers her a few years. And with her rare blood type, a transplant isn’t likely. Living like you are dying isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. But when a heart becomes available, she’s given a second chance at life. Except Leah discovers who the donor was — a boy from her school — and they’re saying he killed himself. Plagued with dreams since the transplant, she realizes she may hold the clues to what really happened.

Matt refuses to believe his twin killed himself. When Leah seeks him out, he learns they are both having similar dreams and he’s certain it means something. While unraveling the secrets of his brother’s final moments, Leah and Matt find each other, and a love they are terrified to lose. But life and even new hearts don’t come with guarantees. Who knew living took more courage than dying?

My Thoughts:

I received an ARC through Netgalley

I gave this book 4 stars. I was pretty close to giving this one 3 stars or 3.5, until I read the authors note of this book which I read on Goodreads, but is also at the end of the book itself. She talked about the significance of the story to her and that moved me so much that I couldn’t not feel so much more connected the work. If you want to check that out I will leave a link here.

This book felt so long. It was good and never felt like it was dragging, but at the same time, it felt like I was never making any headway. I would read for like an hour and only be 20% in. I felt like I was chasing pavement, nothing was moving forward. 

So I solved the mystery at about 43%, but I wanted to see how it would play out. I feel like it was too obvious who the killer was, kind of a stereotype.

What I loved about this book as the even though there was a large mystery element, the entire story wasn’t consumed by it. The mystery was wrapped up near the end but was not the climax of the story, we got right down to what the story was truly about, a girl who got a heart transplant.

Overall, I think it was a very sweet book. The two leads were so cute together, a little unsure but determined to make it work. I loved them together and I really enjoyed this book. I do prefer the authors Shadowfalls work, but that may just be my preference in genre. For a contemporary lover, this would be a great read.

What Makes a Good Thriller/Mystery

Felt like doing something a little different today, so I decided to talk about what I think makes a good Thriller/Mystery novel.

If you are anything like me, you might have a harder time reading thrillers and mysteries than you do reading everything else. I love watching thriller/mystery shows and movies, but when it comes to pen and paper it just can’t seem to hold my focus. 

I almost never read those types of novels specifically because I don’t feel as connected to them as I do other genres. These novels might just be the hardest to write because of how complex they have to be. A good thriller/mystery has to keep you on your toes while still managing to make you care about what is going to happen. I find that in a lot of thrillers I don’t really care about the characters because we don’t really get anything likable about them. Thrillers usually star characters we don’t like or respect and therefore don’t really care what happens to them because of it. The times that I’ve enjoyed thrillers was because I liked or had a general respect for the protagonist or whomever we are rooting for.

A great example would be The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo. There is no book character out there as badass as Lizbeth Salander. She is just so well rounded. Lizbeth Salander is one of those characters that always surprises me, I never know what she’ll do and I love that.

Another thing absolutely necessary is a plot that twists and turns. No one likes a mystery that can be guessed halfway through the book. You have to be hit with a plot twist or it just isn’t worth reading, especially considering how long thrillers/mysteries tend to be. No one wants to waste their time on a boring book.

Another aspect that is so so important is the antagonist. The hero is only as good as the villain is bad, we all know this. So if the antagonist of a story isn’t truly driven and complex then there is no point.

What do you think is an important part of a thriller/mystery novel?

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Pretty Dead Girls Spoiler Free Review

Pretty Dead Girls 
by Monica Murphy

Release Date: January 2nd, 2017

Synopsis:

Beautiful. Perfect. Dead.

In the peaceful seaside town of Cape Bonita, wicked secrets and lies are hidden just beneath the surface. But all it takes is one tragedy for them to be exposed.

The most popular girls in school are turning up dead, and Penelope Malone is terrified she's next. All the victims so far have been linked to Penelope—and to a boy from her physics class. The one she's never really noticed before, with the rumored dark past and a brooding stare that cuts right through her.

There's something he isn't telling her. But there's something she's not telling him, either.

Everyone has secrets, and theirs might get them killed.

My Thoughts:

I received an ARC through Netgalley

I gave this book 4.5 stars. I’m not much of a mystery reader as I have terrible patience, but I loved this book.

I really enjoyed this book, a lot more than I thought I would. I mean, I guessed who the killer was about halfway through the book, but this didn’t diminish my enjoyment. What made me love it more was the fact that the author says she was inspired by Scream Queens, a show I love. 

I originally thought this book was going to go in the direction of Heathers, because, if you’ve ever seen Heathers and read the synopsis of this book, you know it’s not a hard conclusion to jump to. There’s also the fact that we saw some moments from the murders point of view, but it’s in first person along with our protagonist, so at first, you think they are the same person. At least I did as there was no indication of any shift in perspective, that is maybe the one thing I disliked about this book. You don’t know that the perspective has changed until someone dies.

I’ve read Monica Murphy’s books before, but only ever her romances. I have to say that her transition into Young Adult was well done. I may even like this book more than any of her other novels.

Cass had so much past and I loved hearing about it, I do wish we could have found out more about what happened with his parents, but I guess they never had time to fully breach the subject so I will forgive them. Cass was also very adorable. He had these moments where he would get so excited or smug or just have these bursts of charisma that I found engaging. 

I still can’t decide if I like Penelope. I don’t dislike her, but she definitely isn’t my favorite character. She had moments that I found unreliable as she is supposed to be this spoiled rich girl, but she still managed to be down to earth at the same time. It really depended on what was happening in her life.

I would highly suggest reading this if you love YA contemporary romances and maybe want to try reading more mysteries. It’s not a cozy read mystery, more like a thriller mystery, but it’s still a good one.

The Becoming of Noah Shaw Spoiler Free Review

The Becoming of Noah Shaw
by Michelle Hodkin

Release Date: November 7th, 2017

Synopsis:

In the first book of the Shaw Confessions, the companion series to the New York Times bestselling Mara Dyer novels, old skeletons are laid bare and new promises prove deadly. This is what happens after happily ever after.

Everyone thinks seventeen-year-old Noah Shaw has the world on a string.

They’re wrong.

Mara Dyer is the only one he trusts with his secrets and his future.

He shouldn’t.

And both are scared that uncovering the truth about themselves will force them apart.

They’re right.

My Thoughts:

I received this ARC through Netgalley

I gave this book 5 stars. I really loved how well this book was written, the characters weren't weird and different than they were in the original trilogy and it was well paced.

This book was a ticking time bomb. We know from the synopsis that Noah and Mara are going to have the main conflict in this book. Going into this book I was very nervous as I love Noah and Mara together. They are perfect together. It’s even harder seeing Noah grow to distrust Mara as he loves her so much. They love each other so much and that’s part of the problem, they are willing to do anything to protect each other. 

The fact that our former protagonist of the Unbecoming of Mara Dyer is now our antagonist. This is a unique position as this rarely happens. We see this character that we grew to love and fear and we’re seeing this side of her that we don’t really want to see. She is turning into something unrecognizable. 

It was interesting to see everything from Noah’s perspective, he seems like an open book, but he really is good at answering questions with questions, you can’t really know Noah. Noah is actually pretty noble. Pun intended. When we first met him in the first Mara Dyer book he seems like a sleazy playboy, now he can see that he isn’t what we thought he was. He’s a really good person who wants to do the right thing.

Noah and Mara’s banter was the same as it always was, even when they were in tough situations, they were stressed, they still had their easy banter going on. I loved this the ease between them, even though they might not have completely trusted each other, they could still talk to each other.

I hope that in the end Noah and Mara will find their way back to each other because I would love nothing more than to see them work it all out. I know this may not be the case because of the whole “You will love him to ruins” thing, but I still have hope for them.

Also, more of a sidenote, you should 100% read the Mara Dyer trilogy before reading or else it won’t make a lot of sense. There are a lot of references to things that happen in that first trilogy that is detrimental to this story.

Sunday Favorites: The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer

I've finally been hit with inspiration for another Sunday Favorites Post. If you didn't know before, Sunday Favorites is a blog series where I talk about some of my favorite books and characters and some of my personal experiences with said books and characters. I hope you guys enjoy this weeks post!

It took me two days to read The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer. The first day I started the book after school, my sister had a rugby game that day and I had to stay and watch, first their practice and then their game. So needless to say I was going to be there a while. I know this seems a bit obnoxious, but I didn’t pay any attention to the game that my sister and some of my friends were playing, which they later got mad at me about, I was too busy reading this book. In my defense, I knew nothing about rugby, less than nothing. I knew the bare minimum, only that it was sort of like football but not really, they just had similar balls and tackled each other. So I spent about three hours immersed in this book, loving every second of it.

The characters were witty and there were parts where I would just sit there laughing because of the ridiculous shit these characters would do, but I loved them for it. I especially loved Noah Shaw. This week's Sunday Favourites is actually inspired by the fact that I am currently reading an ARC of the Becoming of Noah Shaw, which by the way, comes out on the 7th of November.

Mara is also one of my favorite protagonists, she was just so damaged and a lot of the things she would think and say where things that I could relate to or at least find amusing in some way. What did break my heart was the fact that animals didn’t like her. Honestly, if animals didn’t like me I would probably start balling, however, Mara deals with it like a pro.

The atmosphere of this book is so different from anything else I’ve ever read. I have a generally hard time reading books that would be deemed creepy. A lot of the time it feels forced, like the author is just trying too hard to make it creepy and so the story drags on. This one seamlessly merged creepy with fast-paced. 

This is also one of those books that I could just reread 10 times and still be completely immersed in the story every single time. The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer is a book that always helps me whenever I need to get out of a reading slump, it has everything I really want from a book. It’s definitely one of my favorite books of all time.

Have you read the Unbecoming of Mara Dyer? What are your thoughts?

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Recommendations: Mystery

Mysteries aren't exactly my favorite books to read, I usually find them a bit hard to get through as I am someone without patience. If you are someone who is also impatient, I can honestly say that these are some mysteries for you.

And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie

This was a book I had to read for school so it already had a negative connotation attached to it. Once I started it though, I couldn't stop. This book was like crack, it was probably one of the best books I've ever had to read for school and one of my personal favorite mysteries. All the characters are very morally ambiguous, you really can't like any of them, I mean I liked a few just because they were total snakes and I found it very entertaining. I also really shipped two characters together because they were both incredibly devious. Overall, It isn't that long and it doesn't have any boring filler scenes.

Mr. Mercedes by Stephen King

You can never go wrong with a little Stephen King. This book was, I guess, more of a crime novel, but the identity of the antagonist was a mystery so we spend the book trying to piece together who he is alongside Bill Hodge. It's fast paced and the characters are incredibly likeable.

The Dead List by Jennifer L. Armentrout

This is more for the YA lovers out there. This is a book about a girl who is trying to figure out who is murdering people around her town and it is completely addicting. I first read this one when the author put it on Wattpad as a fun little extra story, but I do believe it is now available in print. It's really good for someone who isn't that into mystery, but maybe wants to give the genre another try.

The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo by Steig Larsson

This book, I don't know where to start. Lizbeth Salander is the most badass character in literature. I don't care who you try to pit up against her, they will lose because Lizbeth is just that awesome. Along with that is this entire conspiracy that you just don't see coming. It follows Lizbeth and Mikael as the try and piece together what happened to Harriet Vanger after she disappeared fourty years before. It's so completely epic and there isn't ever a moment where you are bored because the story is so engaging. If you decide to read one book from this list i would highly suggest it be this one.


What mystery novels do you want to tell everyone to read?


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The Stephen King Book Tag

I watched the It movie on opening day. Funny story, I went about two hours early with my friend to make sure we got good seats. The theatre ended up not even being full. I mean, it was a four o'clock showtime, but it was opening day so it should have been really busy. I guess it was better that it wasn't. I also have to mention, some lady brought her small children to see this movie. This movie was terrifying and I bet her children will be scarred for life. I just wanted to mention that. It was a wild movie-going experience. 

I should also note that this tag wasn't originally in English, I had to translate it from French and while I speak some French I am not the best at it so some of the questions may be wrong. I just thought you should be aware of that before hand. Disclaimer.

How many Stephen King books do you own?

9

How did you discover this author?

The movie The Shining, I was really into horror movies at the time.

What is the first book you read by him?

The Shining, it's probably Stephen King's most recognized work as it is also an incredibly famous movie, so it shouldn't come as a surprise that this is the first one to catch my eye.

How long have you been a fan?

For about five years now.

What is your favorite book? Who made you most afraid?

(I was going to use a picture of the book cover, but then I came across this badass picture and decided to use it instead. When I clicked on the photo it linked back to the Goodreads page so I don't actually know who made this, but I totally commend them for making such an awesome poster.)

My Favorite book as of now is Doctor Sleep. 

The character who scares me the most is Pennywise the Clown. I’m terrified of clowns.

Which book did you like least?

Cell, it took me quite a while to get through this one, and even when I was reading it, it was more like skim reading because I didn't care.

Do you have any Stephen King books in your TBR pile that you have not read yet?

Four: Finders Keepers, End of Watch, Under the Dome, and It.

What is your favorite new book?

I feel like I may not have translated this question correctly, but I’ll give it a go. I’m assuming this means, what is a newer book that I love, and if I’m not counting Doctor Sleep, then I would have to go with Mr. Mercedes. It was such a good book.

What do you like most in the style of this author?

His books always feel very nostalgic, no matter if they are scary or just about crime, they have this coming of age type feel that I love.

What do you think of adaptations? What is your favorite?

I for the most part really enjoy the adaptations, some could be better, but there are definitely some amazing ones out there like Stand By Me and the Shawshank Redemption that are pretty amazing. My favorite would have to be the original It mini series. The new It movie was a lot better in quality than the mini series, the mini series had a perfect mix of horror and the coming of age feeling that is attributed with a lot of Stephen King's work and I love it.

We all float down here.

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