I’m sharing another instalment of my Mini Review Mondays, the most recent of which was last week. In case you haven’t seen any of my previous posts, I do ‘mini’ reviews of books that I’ve previously read and am now ready to share my full thoughts about.
First up, I’d like to talk about Tell Me No Lies by Andrea Contos. Thank you to the fantatsic Kiran Khanom at Scholastic for sending me a copy in exchange for an honest review.
Riverdale meets Gone Girl in a shocking thriller about two sisters whose bond is tested when one girl’s boyfriend goes missing . . . and her sister is the primary suspect.
Nora and Sophie Linden may be sisters, but they’re not friends. Not since the party last month. Not since the night Sophie’s boyfriend, Garrett, disappeared. Half the town thinks Garrett is dead, the other half believes he ran away, but Sophie knows something no one else does – Garrett left that party with Nora. And straight-A, Ivy-league-bound Nora had never been to a single party before that night. Then Nora withdraws, barely coming home anymore, right when Sophie starts receiving messages from someone who claims to be Garrett, promising revenge for what happened to him that night, and for the lies both girls told to the police about it. With the sisters’ futures – and lives – in jeopardy, they’ll have to decide whether to trust each other again, or risk their secrets leading them to their graves.
Page-turning, twisty thriller for fans of We Were Liars and One of Us is Lying From Andrea Contos, The International Thriller Writers (ITW) Award Winner, 2021
Publication Date: 10th November 2022
TW: death, murder, blackmail, gaslighting, manipulation, assault, violence, blood, drowning, stalking
My Thoughts:
Andrea Contos just jumped up my list of must read mystery writers.
I absolutely adored Throwaway Girls, as it was a YA mystery with real bite. Contos did not hold back, delving into cutting social commentary and forcing you to question the imbalance around victimhood and who is considered ‘good enough’ to be a victim. That socially conscious writing continues here in a scathing look at toxic masculinity, privilege and the social hierarchy designed to protect these characteristics. I really appreciated Contos’ grit and determination to highlight these issues. They are always presented with sensitivity, but also are shown in their full horror.
I think it really helped that I read this as a double bill with Contos’ equally brilliant Out of the Fire. A real hallmark of her writing is that ability to capture the essence of teenage emotions, particularly female rage. It is always depicted with such nuance and shades of grey. Tell Me No Lies sits murkily ethically, plunging you into some dark places alongside Nora and Sophie. These two are complicated and endlessly fascinating protagonists. Contos ensures that every action has real and long reaching ramifications that you feel fracture through the two timelines. That was something I loved about this book, each sister takes a narrative voice either leading up to the fateful day or following on from it. It creates a heightened sense of tension and isolation for each sister, as they are the only voice you follow in each splintered timeline. This novel approach is so, so clever and allows for quite a few moments that made me nearly throw the book across the room as suddenly pieces clicked together.
Tell Me No Lies continues a trend of absolute ferociousness from Andrea Contos and emphasises why she is an author you should have on your radar.
Next up, I’d like to talk about The Whispering Muse by Laura Purcell. Thank you to Bloomsbury for sending me an eARC in exchange for an honest review.
Be careful what you wish for… it may just come true.
At The Mercury Theatre in London’s West End, rumours are circulating of a curse. It is said that the lead actress Lilith has made a pact with Melpomene, the tragic muse of Greek mythology, to become the greatest actress to ever grace the stage.
Suspicious of Lilith, the jealous wife of the theatre owner sends dresser Jenny to spy on her, and desperate for the money to help her family, Jenny agrees. What Jenny finds is a woman as astonishing in her performance as she is provocative in nature.
On stage, it’s as though Lilith is possessed by the characters she plays, yet off stage she is as tragic as the Muse who inspires her, and Jenny, sorry for her, befriends the troubled actress. But when strange events begin to take place around the theatre, Jenny wonders if the rumours are true, and fears that when the Muse comes calling for payment, the cost will be too high.
Publication Date: 2nd February
TW: death, gore, violence, fire, blood, self-harm
My Thoughts:
The Whispering Muse left a chill on my skin and a shiver in my bones.
This is an incredibly atmospheric Gothic spectacle of a book. I was initially drawn to that blend of Victorian supernatural creepiness and the world of the theatre, which is itself a highly superstitious place. Purcell has crafted a twisted nightmare here. There are some blood drenched and gory scenes that have stayed with me and will continue to. I love how layered and ambiguous this book is, not offering any easy answers but revelling in the mystery of it all. Purcell allows the book to slowly build at the start, formulating characters, setting and their interwoven relationships.
At the centre of it all, this is a story about obsession, be that for love, success or people. It crumbles a person to pieces, wrecking their lives as they focus on their sole goal. That obsession and desire for perfection characterises much of the theatrical experiences in the book. The theatre is a space where anything is possible and anyone can become someone else. Purcell takes full grasp of those shape shifting abilities, weaving in classical tragedies to create that same three act structure. I particularly loved the way Macbeth plays such a central role in the book, blurring that line between actor and part. The play itself has a storied history of curses and superstitions associated with it, particularly with method acting and actors losing themselves in their part. This adds a meta theatrical aspect to the book that I adored. That tragic atmosphere haunts the book and foreshadows all that will unfold. You know full well everything will end in tears, but whose blood is on whose hands by the end?
The Whispering Muse pushes obsession to its deadly limits and asks you what you would lose to have that one gleaming moment.
Finally, I’d like to delve into She is a Haunting by Trang Thanh Tran. Thank you to Bloomsbury for sending me an eARC in exchange for an honest review.
Jade Nguyen has always lied to fit in. She’s straight enough, Vietnamese enough, American enough – at least for this summer with her estranged father in Vietnam. Just five weeks of ignoring the quietly decaying French colonial house he’s fixing up, then college and freedom are hers.
But soon Jade begins waking up every morning certain that something has clawed down her throat … from the inside. Then the ghost of a beautiful bride visits her with a cryptic warning: DON’T EAT. When her father and little sister don’t believe her, Jade decides to scare them into leaving by staging some haunting events of her own. She recruits Florence, the daughter of her dad’s business associate (and more of a distraction than Jade bargained for) to help.
But the house has other plans. It’s hungry. A home, after all, is only as powerful as those who breathe new life into its bones. And this one is determined never to be abandoned again.
Publication Date: 28th February
TW: bugs, violence, gore, death, murder, anti-Asian racism, colonialism, white supremacy, fire, self-immolation
My Thoughts:
She is a Haunting is at once a beautifully ethereal story and one mired in blood, guts and gore.
Right away, I was hooked by the stunning writing. It has the poetic, lyrical feel full of lush descriptions and sensory writing. That glamour has a definite edge and sense of darkness to it though. Before long, it fades away to reveal the rotting heart and truth. This is not a book that holds back. There are some truly disgusting sequences and plenty that blur the line between reality and fantasy. Occasionally, we dip into a stream of consciousness style narration, completely immersing you in this bizarre landscape where dreams melt into waking and ghosts are a constant presence. Trang has definitely caught my eye and ensured that I will be picking up whatever they work on next.
Jade Nguyen is a fantastic protagonist. Life has hardened her and the threads of her identity enshroud her, never feeling Vietnamese enough or American enough. Coupled with her closeted bisexuality and her fractured family, you understand fully the guards she has placed up around her. I adored her prickly nuances and that deep longing for family connections at her core. She does not forgive easily and nor should she. Beneath this is a deeply scared child forced to grow up too quickly and that vulnerability leaks through as the horror ramps up.
This book also heavily deals with the bloody horrors of colonialism and the ongoing influence it has. Here, the house is clearly marked by its abhorrent past and the bloodshed surrounding it. That influence and slow corruption is such an interesting way to depict the entrenched racism and ideologies that form a crucial part of colonialism’s legacy. It warps and shapes everything.
She is a Haunting blew me away completely. This is everything you could ever ask from a YA horror: unapologetic in its ferocity, creepiness and pushing the boundaries.
A Short Book Lover 
2 thoughts on “Mini Review Monday #91”