5 Stars for Double Threat by F. Paul Wilson

 Double Threat by F. Paul Wilson is about a young woman named Daley who finds an alien has resided inside her head. The plot moves from there with a "Stranger than Fiction" vibe. The humorous tone of the story changes with the emergence of a cult truly David Berg worthy. At this point, I'm reminded of Wilson's Repairman Jack series where Jack constantly averts danger to himself and loved ones. However, this book is not a Repairman Jack book. In fact, its enjoyment doesn't come from page turning danger. This is a slow burn ripe with fantastic dialogue between Daley and her alien, Daley's dynamic character change from extreme selfishness to to extrema empathy, and last Daley's paradoxical toxic relationship choices. Oh, and there's the cult based on mind bending science fiction. Wilson does a nice job of blending thriller and science fiction. Mostly, he's a natural with dialogue and immediately I am drawn into unique voices I want to root for. This book is well deserving of the applause and as much as I enjoyed the Repairman Jack books, Double Threat is better written. I suppose that comes from Wilson's dedication to perfecting his craft. I hope to see more of Daley soon. 

5 Stars for The Broken Girls by Simone St. James

 

This is my second Simone St. James book, and again I am not disappointed. St. James has a style that feels like walking into a Francisco Goya painting while listening to David Bowie's Under Pressure in the background. Fiona, the main character, is constantly struggling with a need for truth and as the premise indicates - she wants to know the truth behind her sister's murder. Fiona is a journalist, independent, self-motivated, subject to the powers of love, and somewhat under the shadow of a father who is bigger than life. That alone got me interested in this story, but as with all the St. James book there is more than one story line. The second story line dates back 64 years and centers around the death of other girls - no more word of that because I might give too much away. The second story is equally intriguing and the broken girls in that story vein are incredibly clever and strong because of their hardships. I enjoyed the different well-fleshed out personalities of each of them. I definitely leaned towards Katie the most. St. James books deliver well-thought out plots that tie up every loose end at the end, but style aside - I like her characters! I also like the spooky gothic atmosphere she plays up in her stories. It reminds me of my Stephen King favorites like Salem's Lot with extra mystery embellished in every corner. A reader cannot go wrong with books like that. I highly recommend Simone St. James's The Broken Girls.

5 Stars for The Sun Down Motel by Simone St. James

The Sun Down Motel by Simone St. James delivers. I wanted spooky - Got it! I wanted great female characters with some backbone! - Got it. I wanted a twist - Got it! I needed this book after reading lots of required classical lit. I highly recommend this book and more St. James. I know I will read more of her stories. 

2.5 Stars for Plain, Bad Heroines by Emily M. Danforth

 

2.5 Stars

I could not finish it and with so many other books to read this summer, I simply didn't want to plow through. The writing is way too embellished. Beautiful writing is not just about how to turn a clever phrase. Danforth can certainly do that, but beautiful writing also means knowing what to cut. The book in general is too long. In Aspects of the Novel by E.M. Forster, he warns against what he calls "tea time." He explains these are scenes that do not push the plot forward. Folks sipped a lot of tea in Plain Bad Heroines. The other reason for my 2.5 star review is lack of horror and this is a personal preference from a girl who loves horror. This is a story within a story one from the past into the present. I did not understand the connection. If there wasn't going to be a real connection perhaps Danforth could have approached this story like a set of short stories set in a Canterbury Tales structure or just stuck with the past story. That one was a little interesting. In the end, I felt disappointed. I looked forward to reading this because of the unique premise and promise of horror. Instead, I found I couldn't root for any characters because they didn't seem like they needed saving. Perhaps this is the irony, thus, Plain Bad Heroines. 

4 Stars for The Canterbury Tales by Chaucer

 

The Canterbury Tales by Chaucer proved itself to be more entertaining than I'd expected. It doesn't have to be read in its entirety because it is composed of smaller stories within a larger one. It almost reads like a book of short stories with dark fairy tale morals and with a big dose of humor at the expense of human folly. I loved the stories particularly: The Pardoner, The Wife of Bath, and The Squire. The ending of these tales became Middle Age preachy, but I suppose it needed redemption after the tales of lechery, bloodshed, idolatry, adulatory, and so on. For example, The Wife of Bath's tale and The Pardoner's tale embrace love of lust, power and greed with outright defiance. These two characters don't care what others think of them and firmly know who they are. They are in stark contrast to characters like The Nun, and The Knight, so for me to fully grasp the importance of the most entertaining stories, I had to read the other stories that contrasted them, so I recommend reading The Canterbury Tales in its entirety even though the stories can be read separately. 

5 Stars for Firekeeper's Daughter by Angeline Boulley

Firekeeper's Daughter by Angeline Boulley glitters with gold. This novel is a journey through the Native American Ojibwe community and its culture but it is a universal human experience loaded with betrayal, death, love, and self-discovery. 18 year old Daunis Fontaine, the protagonist, struggles with who she is with biracial prejudices all around her, plus she's a brilliant scientist nerd struggling with her femininity against the backdrop of her desires for a guy she cannot truly trust and another who already betrayed her and then there is her brother, Levi, the son of the mother who cheated with Daunis's father. Then, let's tie in federal agents and a big meth drug ring to spice up the danger in this book. Yes, this book does not feel like a debut from Boulley, but a literary gift to readers willing to explore culture, understand betrayal, love and forgiveness. Beautiful. 

5 Stars for The Queen of Nothing by Holly Black

The line Cardan whispers to Jude, "By you, I am forever undone," reminds me of the line Gatsby (The Great Gatsby) speaks about his true love, Daisy, "When I kissed this girl, I knew my mind would never romp again like the mind of God." The Queen of Nothing by Holly Black is the third book in the series, The Folk of the Air. All three books are deserving of the full star rating. 1. You have a dynamic female protagonist, Jude with no magic in a world of fairy magic. All she possesses is a passion for power and a very clever mind. I love her! I rooted for her from page one of The Cruel Prince, the first book in the series. 2. Cardan, a complex cruel prince, who battles against a closet full of his own demons, and loves Jude despite his nature to destroy. 3. Plot twists that surprised me. For example, the ending of the second book, The Wicked King, thundered with electric promise. If you read the first two books, you have to read the third. 4. Ms. Black's need to put Jude in every possible danger leaving her only - well this makes me think of that old show MacGyver in the 1980s where getting out of danger involves real complexity - and that Jude is abundance of. Jude is amazing but she is also real, well as real as a mortal can get in a land full of magic. Jude is vulnerable (especially when it comes to Cardan) but also because of her mortality. Excellent characterization. Jude could easily be a cross between Lara Croft and Lady Macbeth, now isn't that a combination. Cardan is the better version of Dorian Gray.