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.
This week, all the books I’m reviewing came out on 7th February and they were also all generously sent to me by Titan Books, so a huge thank you to them!
First up, I’d like to talk about At Midnight: 15 Beloved Fairy Tales Reimagined.
A dazzling collection of retold and original fairy tales from fifteen acclaimed and bestselling YA writers.
Fairy tales have been spun for thousands of years and remain among our most treasured stories. Weaving fresh takes and unexpected reimaginings, At Midnight brings together a diverse group of celebrated writers to breathe new life into our beloved traditions.
Dahlia Adler, “Rumplestiltskin”
Tracy Deonn, “The Nightingale”
H.E. Edgmon, “Snow White”
Hafsah Faizal, “Little Red Riding Hood”
Stacey Lee, “The Little Matchstick Girl”
Roselle Lim, “Hansel and Gretel”
Darcie Little Badger, “Puss in Boots”
Malinda Lo, “Frau Trude”
Alex London, “Cinderella”
Anna-Marie McLemore, “The Nutcracker”
Rebecca Podos, “The Robber Bridegroom”
Rory Power, “Sleeping Beauty”
Meredith Russo, “The Little Mermaid”
Gita Trelease, “Fitcher’s Bird”
and an all-new fairy tale by Melissa Albert
TW: racism, classism, violence, sexual assault, transphobia, parental abuse, infidelity & themes of attempted incest/sexual assault, murder of own parents, cannibalism & child abandonment
My Thoughts:
At Midnight captured some of my favourite authors through a particular niche I adore, that of fairy tale retellings.
For me, retellings need to have some sort of edge or spin to them in order to justify their narrative. I love it when these stories are updated for now, often by diversifying them or interrogating them through an intersectional lens. In this sense, At Midnight smashes it out of the park. This was a creative and highly original anthology, taking fairytale retellings to new heights. It very much felt refreshingly modern and tailored to our contemporary moment.
Stories that particularly stood out to me were those by Dahlia Adler, Tracey Deonn, Hafsah Faizal, Anna-Marie McLemore and Melissa Albert’s new fairy tale. Adler’s take on Rumplestiltskin was hilariously meta, drenched in popular culture and featured two completely twisted female protagonists that I fell in love with. Deonn’s writing is always so gorgeously entrancing and her take on The Nightingale was no different. This was a tale that utterly cast a spell on me and I still ruminate on. Faizal takes Little Red Riding Hood and transforms it into a heist, full of twists and turns. Faizal also added the representation of a hijabi protagonist, which brought such joy to my heart. For me, McLemore can write anything and I will eat it up everytime. Their take on the Nutcracker weighs heavy with emotional intensity, familial duty and a desire to be loved. It was a story that really resonated with me. Finally, I loved how Albert took us deep into the darkness of the woods in an intoxicating, tricksy new fairytale with all the evil bubbling beneath of the original Grimm tales.
At Midnight epitomises how good fairy tale retellings can be, with a pinch of magic suitable for every reader.
Next up, I’d like to talk about Don’t Fear the Reaper by Stephen Graham Jones.
Jade Daniels faces down a brutal serial killer in his pulse-punding tribute to the golden era of horror cinema and Friday the 13th from the New York Times-bestselling, multiple-award winning Jones.
Four years after her tumultuous senior year, Jade Daniels is released from prison right before Christmas when her conviction is overturned. But life beyond bars takes a dangerous turn as soon as she returns to Proofrock. Convicted Serial Killer, Dark Mill South, seeking revenge for thirty-eight Dakota men hanged in 1862, escapes from his prison transfer due to a blizzard, just outside of Proofrock, Idaho.
Dark Mill South’s Reunion Tour began on December 12th, 2019, a Thursday. Thirty-six hours and twenty bodies later, on Friday the 13th, it would be over.
Don’t Fear the Reaper is the page-turning sequel to My Heart Is a Chainsaw from New York Times bestselling author Stephen Graham Jones.
TW: murder, death, gore, blood, violence, sexual assault, misogyny, death of parent, pedophilia, stalking, suicidal thoughts, racism, fire, ableism, injury/injury detail, torture, gun violence, sexual harassment, alcoholism, racial slurs, addiction, medical trauma, animal cruelty, classism, child death, police brutality, forced institutionalisation, self harm, drug abuse, domestic abuse, trafficking, emotional abuse, lynching, residential schools, drowning, car accident
My Thoughts:
Don’t Fear the Reaper is the slasher smash-hit I needed in my life.
For me, this was a particularly interesting reading period. Jones’ work is something I have been fascinated by for years and is currently forming about half of my dissertation. Coming from that intense research, it was so enjoyable to be able to delve into his latest work.
My Heart is a Chainsaw was another home-run from a horror mastermind. He expertly weaved truly terrifying moments with a socially conscious and fiercely intelligent tale that you won’t be able to forget. Jade Daniels was an instant icon for me, a Final Girl like no other. I was so, so excited to continue her story in Don’t Fear the Reaper and boy, Jones does not hold back. This is an even more blood drenched, gory, madcap mess of a book. The mayhem is sky-high and so is the body count. This is horror at its best, with the gore and the blood and the guts on full display.
At the same time, Jones is also exploring the fallout from the “Independence Day Massacre”, as the previous book is being dubbed. There is a sense of the long term ramifications and collective trauma running through the entire town. Trauma is a central theme of the series, obscuring and shaping Jade’s narrative entirely, but also showing more facets that are not rooted in that past. This is a more collective experience of trauma, keenly felt losses both physical and emotional from the slaughter of the previous book. The horror is dialled up, but so is that intimate emotional core.
Don’t Fear the Reaper took it up a notch and Jones is sure to wreck even more havoc in the third and final book of the trilogy.
Finally, I’d like to delve into Seven Faceless Saints by M. K. Lobb.
Roz and Damian grew up in Ombrazia, a city ruled by the disciples of the seven faceless saints, where those with magic live in comfort whilst the rest struggle to survive. A city caught in a twenty-year war of attrition, a battlefront consuming a generation of conscripts.
Roz serves as a disciple of the Saint Patience to support her mother, and to spy for the rebellion. Her Ombrazia is corrupt and unjust and she’ll tear it down to get justice for the murder of her father at the hands of the Ombrazian military.
The Military that Damian now serves. Damian is the youngest captain in the history of Palazzo security, expected to be ruthless and strong, and to serve the saints with unquestioning devotion. But he’s haunted by the ghosts of war, and trying to rebuild his life as he rediscovers the love he once had for Roz.
When a brutal murderer strikes the city, Roz and Damian find they are the only ones willing to hunt the killer no matter the consequences. Forced to work together, they must face their buried emotions, the past they once shared, and the dark and powerful evil that wants to consume their city.
TW: murder, death, PTSD, parental death, violence, suicidal ideation, child death, eye horror, fire
My Thoughts:
Seven Faceless Saints is an intriguing start to a blended series of fantasy, murder mystery, political tensions and a good old dash of intrigue to boot.
The world building of this book was meticulous, laying the groundwork for what promises to be an interesting series. In particular, Lobb sets a lot of time into building up the political and magic systems, both of which play a key role in the book. I found the whole concept of the seven Saints deeply fascinating and seeing the different powers manifest on the page was wonderful. When this is combined with some political manoeuvring, plenty of intrigue and a few dead bodies, you have a definite recipe for success.
The murder mystery aspect of the plot was brilliant, consistently engaging and surprising. The ritualistic killing was deeply horrifying, going into some gnarly details around the violence inflicted on the victims. That eye horror warning is definitely there for a reason. I liked how bloody the book was though, creating a genuine sense of danger and a high stakes investigation. Every time I thought I had it nailed down, some slight shift would happen and rupture everything. There is also a keen sense of whose deaths are seen as worth investigating and whose lives are seen as expendable, creating some timely commentary on class, power and the ‘perfect’ victims. In the same vein, I love a book that really digs into political corruption and the imbalance of power, building to an explosive shift. Lobb does this with such malevolent power, creating tension so thick and unbearable. The shifting motivations and allegiances of the characters meant you could never truly trust anyone and this tipped that mystery into a whole new level.
Seven Faceless Saints is a blood soaked series opener, gory and uncompromising in its interrogation of the corruption and abuse of power. I also loved the addition of an enemies to lovers plotline that really shines.
A Short Book Lover 
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