Can't-Wait Wednesday: The Resurrectionist by A. Rae Dunlap & The Party by Natasha Preston

      

Can't-Wait is a weekly meme hosted by Wishful Endings that spotlights exciting upcoming releases that we can't wait to be released! 

The Resurrectionist by A. Rae Dunlap
Publication: December 24th, 2024
Kensington
Hardcover. 336 pages.
Pre-order: Amazon | Bookshop.org

From Goodreads:
"In the tradition of The Alienist and A Love Story, a decadently macabre, dark and twisty gothic debut set in 19th century Scotland – when real-life serial killers Burke and Hare terrorized the streets of Edinburgh – as a young medical student is lured into the illicit underworld of body snatching.

Historical fiction, true crime, and dark academia intertwine in a harrowing tale of murder, greed, and the grisly origins of modern medicine for readers of Lydia Kang, ML Rio, Sarah Perry, and C.E. McGill.

Edinburgh, Scotland, 1828. Naïve but determined James Willoughby has abandoned his posh, sheltered life at Oxford to pursue a lifelong dream of studying surgery in Edinburgh. A shining beacon of medical discovery in the age of New Enlightenment, the city’s university offers everything James desires—except the chance to work on a human cadaver. For that, he needs to join one of the private schools in Surgeon’s Square, at a cost he cannot afford. In desperation, he strikes a deal with Aneurin “Nye” MacKinnon, a dashing young dissectionist with an artist’s eye for anatomy and a reckless passion for knowledge. Nye promises to help him gain the surgical experience he craves—but it doesn’t take long for James to realize he’s made a devil’s bargain . . .   Nye is a body snatcher. And James has unwittingly become his accomplice.

Intoxicated by Nye and his noble mission, James rapidly descends into the underground ranks of the Resurrectionists—the body snatchers infamous for stealing fresh corpses from churchyards to be used as anatomical specimens. Before he knows it, James is caught up in a life-or-death scheme as rival gangs of snatchers compete in a morbid race for power and prestige. James and Nye soon find themselves in the crosshairs of a shady pair of unscrupulous opportunists known as Burke and Hare, who are dead set on cornering the market, no matter the cost. These unsavory characters will do anything to beat the competition for bodies. Even if it’s cold-blooded murder . . .

Exquisitely macabre and delightfully entertaining, The Resurrectionist combines fact and fiction in a rollicking tale of the risks and rewards of scientific pursuit, the passions of its boldest pioneers, and the anatomy of human desire."

A historical fiction/horror centered around real life body snatchers... I'm in!

The Party by Natasha Preston
Publication: December 3rd, 2024
Delacorte Press
Paperback. 352 pages.
Pre-order: Amazon | Bookshop.org

From Goodreads:
"Are you invited?

In the heart of the English countryside, Bessie and her closest friends gather at a remote castle for a secret party destined to make this the best spring break ever. But when the first of them dies, the party takes a lethal turn.

As the body count continues to rise, Bessie and her friends must contend with a deadly storm and growing internal suspicion, all while trapped inside with a killer.

Set against the backdrop of a sprawling English estate, Natasha Preston's latest thriller will keep you on the edge of your seat until the party’s over…"

Natasha Preston always writes some fun thrillers, and I'm always up for a classic premise like this.

Horror Mini Reviews Pt. II: The Haar by David Sodergren & Small Horrors by Darcy Coates

Happy Halloween! Today I have two more mini horror reviews for you all to celebrate the holiday: The Haar by David Sodergren and Small Horrors by Darcy Coates!

The Haar by David Sodergren

Paperbacks and Pugs
Publication: May 17th, 2022

Paperback. 212 pages.

About The Haar:

"'I don’t fear death... but they do.'

Muriel McAuley has lived in the Scottish fishing village of Witchaven all her life. She was born there, and she intends to die there.

But when an overseas property developer threatens to evict the residents from their homes and raze Witchaven to the ground in the name of progress, all seems lost… until the day a mysterious fog bank creeps inland.

The Haar.

To some it brings redemption… to others, it brings only madness and death. What macabre secrets lie within… The Haar.

Romantic and deranged, The Haar is a gore-soaked folk horror fairy tale from David Sodergren, author of The Forgotten Island and Maggie’s Grave."

In a small town in Scotland, a large American company has begun buying out inhabitants in order to build their own private endeavor. Muriel has lived in this town her entire life and refuses to give in to this horrible, which makes her a huge problem for the company. One day, amidst rising drama pertaining to the company and various buyouts, Muriel happens upon something that has the potential to change the course of her life... and perhaps the lives of a few others. 

The blurb for The Haar describes it as "a gore-soaked folk horror fairy tale," and I'm not sure I could describe it any better than that. However, it's also a book with some really carefully written explorations of grief and loneliness that made this much sadder and more touching I expected. Muriel is living alone in her small town, her husband having died years prior, and this book really focuses in on much of her grief and her desire to simply be with her husband and have love in her life again. This is honestly a surprisingly sentimental horror and is one that really made me feel for our protagonist, who is also an incredibly bold, witty, and full of attitude, which means she refuses to let anyone tell her what to do.

I really did not expect to enjoy this book as much as I did, but I'm so glad I happened across it on my library's online app and had a chance to read it. I listened to the audiobook version of this one and thought it was incredibly well done with a fantastic narrator. If you're looking for something delightfully gory, with a great protagonist, and with some incredible otherworldly folktale elements, then be sure to give The Haar a read. Overall, this ended up being a four star read!

Small Horrors: A Collection of Fifty Creepy Stories by Darcy Coates

Poisoned Pen press
Publication: April 5th, 2022

Paperback. 272 pages.

About Small Horrors:

"Push past the curtains of your rational, safe world and explore the un-nameable horrors living in the darkest corners of our consciousness. This is the realm of monsters and shifting shadows, where a single wrong step can plunge you into a terrifying fight for your life, where...

Something mimics human voices as it lures you into the woods.
A corpse had gone missing from its drawer in the morgue.
A friend's eyes are unnaturally bright as they approach you in the dark.

Whatever your choice, these fifty small bites of horror are sure to leave you haunted."

If you like your scary stories short, ominous, and to the point, then this is the collection for you. Small Horrors has fifty (fifty!) unique short stories and range across all types of horror, from murder to the supernatural to the alien and monstrous and everything in between. With fifty stories in just 272 pages, these are all fairly short and don't have a lot of time to set up a scene, but they were able to pack a lot into each story. Some were a bit hit or miss, but I didn't honestly expect to love all fifty, and I think I enjoyed far more than I didn't, so it felt like a very worthwhile read. I had a lot of fun with these and really enjoyed getting such a variety of scary stories to pass the time with--it very much felt like a nice sampler of horror and it made it incredibly entertaining to read.

A lot of these stories had a very flash fiction feel to them where the story ends in a very open-ended manner and leaves you to imagine all sorts of horrible things that could happen, though most were just slightly longer than traditional flash fiction. My only criticism I have for some of these is that I often felt like I'd read a similar story or they just felt as though the author was really trying to hit that fifty mark and was creating stories that didn't really work. I would really love to see some of these stories drawn out in a larger story or book, and I do appreciate when a story leaves me excited for more (although perhaps also a bit disappointed that there's not more when there's so much potential). Overall, this is a really solid collection of horror stories that I think is perfect for when you want to pick something up that can give you a short and sweet scary story fix. 

Can't-Wait Wednesday: Dead Girls Don't Dream by Nino Cipri & The Estate by Sarah Jost

     

Can't-Wait is a weekly meme hosted by Wishful Endings that spotlights exciting upcoming releases that we can't wait to be released! This meme is based off of Jill @ Breaking the Spine's Waiting on Wednesday meme.

Dead Girls Don't Dream by Nino Cipri
Publication: November 12th, 2024
Henry Holt and Co.
Hardcover. 304 pages.
Pre-order: Amazon | Bookshop.org

From Goodreads:
"There are rules for Voynich Woods: Always carry a whistle. Never go alone. Always come home before dark. And if anyone calls your name, don't answer. Because everyone who wanders from the path is never seen again.

Except for Riley Walcott.

Riley knows better than to stray from the trail in the woods behind her uncle Toby's house. But her little sister Sam breaks the rules in pursuit of a local legend, so Riley chases after her and discovers a knife-wielding figure and a waiting grave.

Madelyn lives deep in the forest. Subject to her mother's strict rules, she's forbidden from leaving home or using her magic―but one night, she risks everything to help a stranger who's lost in the woods.

Riley is murdered in a strange ritual, Madelyn uses her magic to resurrect her, and their lives are immediately entwined in the gnarled history of Voynich Woods. Riley, who feels trapped in her small town but too afraid to leave, was never a believer, but now the evidence is taking root under her skin. Madelyn has the scars to prove how terrible magic can be, and longs for a life beyond her mother's grasp. As the legends become all too real, Riley and Madelyn must confront their deepest fears to uncover the truth about Voynich Woods."

I'm always up for any horror with a mysterious forest! I'm really curious to see what the author does with this premise.

The Estate by Sarah Jost
Publication: November 19th, 2024
Sourcebooks Landmark
Paperback. 416 pages.
Pre-order: Amazon | Bookshop.org

From Goodreads:
"For fans of The Cloisters and The Cartographers comes a gripping speculative suspense that follows one woman with the ability to enter the dimension of art, who finds herself trapped in a French estate as the pawn in a rich man's game…

Not all art is safe.

Camille Lerray has spent her career as an art historian surrounding herself with fineries, learning how to appeal to the rich, and selling art for millions. But she harbors a secret that could ruin the life she has so meticulously she has the magic ability to enter the world of the art she surrounds herself with, and she can take others with her. But tapping into history comes at a great risk.

And someone has been watching, someone who knows about her magic, and her mistakes...

After Camille ruins her career and reputation after misusing her powers, she vows to do anything to get her old life back, even if that means tamping down her magic. So when Maxime Foucault, an enigmatic aristocrat who owns a sprawling French estate, enlists her help in authenticating the statues of a mysterious artist who was deemed a madwoman, she knows this could be her chance to turn her career around and get the man of her dreams.

But something isn't quite right about the Foucault family and the grand chateau they inhabit, and as Camille gets sucked into its walls, she finds a world of luxury and greed, and risks losing herself, and everything she has ever known, forever."

This sounds so interesting and unique! I love the idea of being able to enter the worlds of art (!) and am so curious about this book. 

Horror Mini Reviews Pt. I: The Eyes are the Best Part by Monika Kim & Pyramidia by Stephanie Sanders-Jacob

This week I have a number of horror books to share with you all that I've been reading throughout the month of October! Ideally, I would've had horror reviews for you throughout the month of October, but I think Halloween week is just as fitting. Today, I have mini reviews up for Monika Kim's The Eyes are the Best Part and Stephanie Sanders-Jacob's Pyramidia. 

The Eyes are the Best Part by Monika Kim

Erewhon Books
Publication: June 25th, 2024

Hardcover. 278 pages.

About The Eyes are the Best Part:

"Ji-won’s life tumbles into disarray in the wake of her appa’s extramarital affair and subsequent departure. Her mother, distraught. Her younger sister, hurt and confused. Her college freshman grades, failing. Her dreams, horrifying… yet enticing.

In them, Ji-won walks through bloody rooms full of eyes. Succulent blue eyes. Salivatingly blue eyes. Eyes the same shape and shade as George’s, who is Umma’s obnoxious new boyfriend. George has already overstayed his welcome in her family’s claustrophobic apartment. He brags about his puffed-up consulting job, ogles Asian waitresses while dining out, and acts condescending toward Ji-won and her sister as if he deserves all of Umma’s fawning adoration. No, George doesn’t deserve anything from her family. Ji-won will make sure of that.

For no matter how many victims accumulate around her campus or how many people she must deceive and manipulate, Ji-won’s hunger and her rage deserve to be sated."

I wanted creepy  and shocking from this book and I may have wished too hard, because it completely delivered on being incredibly disturbing and flat out gross at times–but I still loved every second of it. This story follows Ji-won as she struggles to adapt to life after her appa leaves and her mother is left heartbroken and clinging to a new, abhorrent boyfriend. This book tackles some difficult topics and I really admired how the author approached them; things like Asian stereotypes and fetishization, racism, misogyny, and more are tackled head-on and with some intense consequences. This book isn't super scary so much as fueled by dread and some strong gore-tastic elements, most of which involve eyeballs in one form or another (which you could probably guess at based on the title).

The Eyes are the Best Part is a slow burn and does not rush through any part of the story it wants to tell. It's extremely unhinged in ways that were both predictable and also entirely unpredictable, which I really appreciated. I had suspicions of where this book may go, but it really took those ideas and flipped them on their heads. The ending is one that I think will be a bit hit or miss for some, but honestly fit the story perfectly and will leave a large impact. This book is raw and unfiltered and admittedly a bit bizarre, but I think it's certainly worth the read. Obviously huge warnings for gore involving eyes–which was rough because I hate gore with eyes–but the experience is worth it. Overall, I've given The Eyes are the Best Part four stars.

Pyramidia by Stephanie Sanders-Jacob

Slashic Horror Press
Publication: February 15th, 2024

Paperback. 361 pages.

About Pyramidia:

"When Harriet moves to Bentwood to teach gifted students, her new life doesn’t go as planned. Between her haunted rental and her oddball neighbor, Lucy—who literally won’t go away—Harriet is left questioning her own sanity. The beautiful Kelsey, whom she meets at the farmers market, offers the distraction she needs.

Well, that, and the town’s Multi-Level Marketing (MLM)—or pyramid—scheme.

The enigmatic group of women selling wellness in the form of Serenitea, with their perfect hair, flawless skin, and piercing eyes. She is drawn to the tea, the wellness, the tranquility… So what if she has to sell a few bags of tea?

You have a new descendant.

Sinking deeper into Serenitea, Harriet can’t stop drinking the tea. She keeps getting emails about new descendants—whatever the hell that means—and the gym teacher, Harold, is giving serious pervy vibes. Even Lucy joins the MLM despite claiming the women are vampires. None of that matters, though, because Serenitea makes her feel…well. Tranquil.

Are you well?"

Just in case you didn't already think MLMs were a bad thing, Pyramidia is here to turn them into a whole new level of horrifying. Harriet moves to the town of Bentwood (which certainly makes me think of similar-sounding city...) for a teaching position, and once there she finds that the town seems to have a high number of MLM schemes. Harriet is very much not into pyramid schemes, but after trying some Serenitea, she finds she just can't get enough and in order to get more, she may need to start selling some tea.

I just loved this concept of taking a pyramid scheme and suburbia and adding horror/thriller elements to it, turning this into an entirely new and fun concept–I mean, what's a better fit for some extra horror and supernatural than the horrors of MLMs and suburbia? There are some great little twists in here and a really colorful array of unique characters to meet along the way–some a bit crazier than others. This book was so witty and had so many relatable moments of humor and commentary that made it a really enjoyable experience. It's one of those premises and plots that feels a bit outlandish and absurd, but completely works and ends up making the perfect mix of genres and ideas. I do think this could have been slightly shorter and suffered a bit from being dragged on just a little too long to where the novelty aspects began to wear off, and the ending itself felt slightly off to me, but overall it was a really entertaining read. I've given Pyramidia four stars!

 

November Anticipated Releases

November is right around the corner (but don't worry, it's not here just yet–we're not bulldozing over Halloween!) which means more new releases are coming our way! Once again, we have a huge array of books to get excited for and I've done my best to share some of those below. Be sure to let me know which ones you're looking forward to, and I've no doubt that I've left some out so let me know in the comments if I've missed any that you are excited about. Happy reading!

The City and Its Uncertain Walls by Haruki Murakami || November 19th -- Amazon | Bookshop.org

We Shall Be Monsters by Alyssa Wees || November 12th -- Amazon | Bookshop.org

Darkly by Marisha Pessl || November 26th -- Amazon | Bookshop.org

The Last Hour Between Worlds by Melissa Caruso || November 19th -- Amazon | Bookshop.org

Where the Library Hides by Isabel Ibanez || November 5th -- Amazon | Bookshop.org

Daughters of Bronze by A.D. RHine || November 26th -- Amazon | Bookshop.org

The Courting of Bristol Keats by Mary E. Pearson || November 12th -- Amazon | Bookshop.org

Eleanore of Avignon by Elizabeth DeLozier || November 5th -- Amazon | Bookshop.org

Servant of Earth by Sarah Hawley || November 12th -- Amazon | Bookshop.org

The Teller of Small Fortunes by Julie Leong || November 5th -- Amazon | Bookshop.org

Dead Girls Don't Dream by Nino Cipri || November 12th -- Amazon | Bookshop.org

A Trinket for the Taking by Victoria Laurie || November 26th -- Amazon | Bookshop.org

The Author's Guide to Murder by Beatriz Williams || November 5th -- Amazon | Bookshop.org

The Estate by Sarah Jost || November 19th -- Amazon | Bookshop.org

Lazarus Man by Richard Price || November 12th -- Amazon | Bookshop.org

The Half King by Melissa Landers || November 19th -- Amazon | Bookshop.org

Snow Drowned by Jennifer D. Lyle || November 5th -- Amazon | Bookshop.org

Shy Creatures by Clare Chambers || November 12th -- Amazon | Bookshop.org

The Magnificent Ruins by Roy Nayantara || November 12th -- Amazon | Bookshop.org

Vanishing Treasures: A Bestiary of Extraordinary Endangered Creatures by Katherine Rundell || November 12th -- Amazon | Bookshop.org

Her Lotus Year: Chine, The Roaring Twenties, and the Making of Wallis Simpson by || November 12th -- Amazon | Bookshop.org

Red Sonja: Consumed by Gail Simone || November 19th -- Amazon | Bookshop.org

The Twice-Sold Soul by Katie Hallahan || November 12th -- Amazon | Bookshop.org

Not for the Faint of Heart by Lex Croucher || November 26th -- Amazon | Bookshop.org

What are your anticipated November releases?

Can't-Wait Wednesday: The Courting of Bristol Keats by Mary E. Pearson & Eleanore of Avignon Elizabeth DeLozier

    

Can't-Wait is a weekly meme hosted by Wishful Endings that spotlights exciting upcoming releases that we can't wait to be released! This meme is based off of Jill @ Breaking the Spine's Waiting on Wednesday meme.

The Courting of Bristol Keats by Mary E. Pearson
Publication: November 12th, 2024
Flatiron Books
Hardcover. 560 pages.
Pre-order: Amazon | Bookshop.org

From Goodreads:
"After losing both their parents, Bristol Keats and her sisters struggle to stay afloat in their small, quiet town of Bowskeep. When Bristol begins to receive letters from an “aunt” she’s never heard of who promises she can help, she reluctantly agrees to meet—and discovers that everything she thought she knew about her family is a lie. Even her father might still be alive, not killed but kidnapped by terrifying creatures to a whole other realm—the one he is from.

Desperate to save her father and find the truth, Bristol journeys to a land of gods and fae and monsters. Pulled into a dangerous world of magic and intrigue, she makes a deadly bargain with the fae king, Tyghan. But what she doesn't know is that he's the one who drove her parents to live a life on the run. And he is just as determined as she is to find her father—dead or alive."

I'm excited for Mary E. Pearson and think this sounds so interesting! I'm always down to travel to other lands and fae realms. 

Eleanore of Avignon by Elizabeth DeLozier
Publication: November 5th, 2024
Riverhead Books
Hardcover. 320 pages.
Pre-order: Amazon | Bookshop.org

From Goodreads:
"Eleanore of Avignon is the story of a woman who is unwilling to bend to the limitations her society places upon her when she becomes the unlikely apprentice to the pope’s physician at the most challenging and dangerous moment in medieval European history.

Provence, 1347. Eleanore (Elea) Blanchet is a midwife and budding herbalist with remarkable skills. But as she knows all too well from her late mother’s fate, she must be careful to stay within her station. So, she quietly accepts her role tending to the pregnant women in her home city of Avignon; spending time with her father and beloved twin sister, Margot; and escaping to the surrounding woods to forage for herbs when she can. At the very least, she is determined to preserve the little freedom she does have by staying unwed—unlike Margot, who is about to marry a man with painful connections to their mother’s death.

Then, in a chance encounter, Elea meets Guy de Chauliac, “Guigo,” the enigmatic personal physician to the powerful Pope Clement, who, against all odds, agrees to take her on as his apprentice. Under his tutelage, a whole new world opens to Elea—a world of status, wealth, and fascinating medical cases—but just as she starts to settle into her new position, the much-feared plague hits Europe, making Elea and Guigo's work more urgent than ever. And as if that weren’t enough, the disgraced Queen Joanna of Naples arrives in Avignon to stand trial for her husband’s murder—and she is pregnant and in need of a midwife, a role only Elea can fill.

As the Black Death spreads like wildfire, leaving half the city dead in its wake—and as the queen's childbirth approaches—Elea finds herself battling what seems to be an unwinnable war. All the while, the people of Avignon are becoming more and more desperate for a scapegoat, and a group of religious heretics launch a witch hunt, one that could cost her everything."

I've been looking for a good historical fiction lately, and this sounds really promising–I only wish it were a bit longer, haha. Can't wait to check this one out!

The Friday Face-Off: Current Read #32

                        

 Welcome to The Friday Face-Off, a weekly meme at Books by Proxy. Join us every Friday as we pit cover against cover, and publisher against publisher, to find the best artwork in our literary universe.  You can find a list of upcoming topics at Lynn's Books.

This week's topic is:

Current Read #32

October is the month where I try to fit as many horror books into my reading as I can (although I tend to read horror any time of year, so I'm not sure how different things are, haha), and this week one of the books I've been reading is The Eyes are the Best Part by Monika Kim! This book is super eyeball-themed, as you will tell by all of these covers, so if you don't like eyes, then you may want to skip this week's FFO. If not, let's take a look at the three different cover variations for this one!

2024 US Hardcover

2024 UK Hardcover

2024 Exclusive Evernight Hardcover

My favorite(s):

Honestly, these are all pretty great for the topic of eyeballs, haha. I'm currently reading the Evernight exclusive edition and I love that it looks like the artist was given the direction of "eyeballs... eyeballs everywhere" and they really took that to heart (you can see the full illustrations on the edges, endpapers, and naked hardcover here if you're curious). But I also think both the original US and UK editions fit the story perfectly and you can't go wrong with either of them. Which edition (if any) do you like best? Maybe it's a weird one to have a favorite on, haha, but let me know if you have a preference for any of these!