Crosley’s writing brings the events, and her emotions, to life, and helps make her every action and reaction reasonable, even, and especially, when she knows they’re not. It is that prose-level finesse, not the subject matter, that helps keep this slim volume feeling relevant even when it occasionally strays into self-indulgence.
Tag Archives: Have already recommended to someone
The Apocalypse Grows Strangely in ‘The Garden’
The Garden is as much about the testing, and mending, of a sisterly relationship as anything else. The apocalypse is merely a reason for their cloistering, and the reckoning they face with each other.
‘Horror’ Examines the Shadow of Genre – and Within
There’s no horror in a vacuum, Horror Movie seems to be telling us, and the way we ingest and interact with it says as much about us as the content itself.
‘Serpents’ a Solid Sequel in a Compelling World
Kate Pearsall’s debut, Bittersweet in the Hollow, was a solid and satisfying novel. With Lies on the Serpent’s Tongue, Pearsall delivers a strong second installment in what I hope will be at least a quartet of enchanting stories.
‘Headshot’ Fast-Moving but Hard-Hitting
Most of the boxers’ stakes in Headshot are drawn from the most ordinary of things, which gives the world inside the book more authenticity and the world outside it a reminder of its import.
‘Unmothers’ Sings Thanks to Subtlety
Most characters within The Unmothers grapple with some kind of emotional fracturing; what’s more interesting is seeing how each responds. The nice thing is that the creeping thing in the fog finds all flavors of grief delicious.
‘Last Call’ Echoes Uncomfortably to Present
History repeats itself; whether or not you study it, chances are your recently elected political leaders haven’t. But I found unlikely optimism in this niche book of history.
‘Woods’ More Human Nature than Thriller
In The God of the Woods, Moore isn’t concerned with crafting a whodunnit so much as a careful sketch of a far more human story.
‘Nest’ a Cozy Exploration of Monstrosity
It’s hard to pick a favorite element in this “cozy horror.” Is it the blood and gore? The love story? The neurodivergent or asexual rep? The family trauma? Somehow, it manages to be all of the above.
‘Red’ a Well-Crafted and Creepy Western
McBride’s utilization of all the elements of Weird Western really shines. From supernatural creatures to sinister humans to wild animals to the unfeeling wilds of nature, the threats are everywhere, and each is given due attention, all woven together to keep any single element from having all the fun—or bearing too much weight to make a satisfying story.
Ring Reads 