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 A Taste of Darkness. Thank you to Kiran Khanom at Scholastic for sending me an early finished copy in exchange for an honest review.
A chilling, thrilling collection of 13 haunting tales. Perfect for every YA reader! From supernatural thrillers to contemporary horror, creepy ancient legends to murders gone wrong – this insatiable anthology is impossible to put down, and even more difficult to forget.
From some of the most celebrated authors writing in this space, this must-have collection will keep you awake at night and inhabit your darkest dreams. Stories from bestselling authors Melinda Salisbury, Cynthia Murphy, Kathryn Foxfield and Louie Stowell (and many more).
Co-curated by Amy McCaw and Mia Kuzniar, this anthology has a story for every reader out there. Perfect for fans of Stranger Things, Wednesday, and all things scary! Featuring stories from: Amy McCaw, Maria Kuzniar, Kat Dunn, Kat Ellis, Rachel Faturoti, Kathryn Foxfield, Dawn Kurtagich, Amy McCulloch, Cynthia Murphy, Melinda Salisbury, Louie Stowell, Rosie Talbot, Mary Watson.
Publication Date: 14th September
TW: death, murder, torture, sexual assault, blood, violence, gaslighting, attempted child murder, institutionalisation, fire, arson
My Thoughts:
A Taste of Darkness is a bone-chilling YA horror anthology that serves as perfect reading for the nights drawing closer and darker.
This was genuinely such a solid anthology – with every story delivering something intriguing, unique and horrifying in its own way. I’ll now go through each story in turn; just know that I would read a full length continuation of every one of them.
Initially How to Disappear by Rosie Talbot was humorous and charismatic and I was instantly endeared to Finch. It grows increasingly atmospheric as the weight of history bears down on these characters. Talbot builds to a twisty, gory little snarl of a story. The House with Teeth by Amy McCaw was another twisty and dark story that I loved and the ending was great. Come Find Me by Kathryn Foxfield had an incredibly creepy opening and was the level I have come to expect from Foxfield.
The Wolf and the Witch by Maria Kuzniar had this lovely immersive and descriptive writing. It was a deeply sad tale of curses and family and legacy. Saint Clover by Melinda Salisbury was pretty bloody good – unexpected and unnerving. I loved Kat Ellis’ use of Welsh mythology in another distinctively creepy tale (The Visiting Grey). Similarly, I loved the use of Irish and Welsh mythology in And the Waters Crept In by Dawn Kurtagich and the brilliant use of atmosphere.
The Party by Louie Stowell was an absolute standout for me. I adored this one – sapphics, vampires and quite a few juicy twists.
The Chiming Hour by Amy McCulloch was so chilling, with great twists and turns – all about artistry and the muse. Something Wicked by Kat Dunn was a twisted little snake of a story. It had so many good turns and changes and that ending was truly haunting. I really liked The Midnight Kiss by Mary Watson. It had excellent writing style, ghosts, Gothic and a touch of romance. The Beast and the Beast by Rachel Faturoti had me gripped right from the start and never truly let me go. Finally, we concluded with the stellar Til Death Do Us Part by Cynthia Murphy – another smash hit from an author I know to expect great things from.
A Taste of Darkness conjures up the monsters from the shadows and spills them onto the page. It is an exquisite celebration of UKYA horror.
Next up, I’d like to talk about You’d Look Better as a Ghost by Joanna Wallace. Thank you to Rachel Quin and Profile Books for sending me for sending me an early finished copy in exchange for an honest review.
I have a gift. I see people as ghosts before they die. Of course, it helps that I’m the one killing them.
The night after her father’s funeral, Claire meets Lucas in a bar. Lucas doesn’t know it, but it’s not a chance meeting. One thoughtless mistyped email has put him in the crosshairs of an extremely put-out serial killer.
But even before they make eye contact, before Claire lets him buy her a drink, before she takes him home and carves him up into little pieces, something about that night is very wrong. Because someone is watching Claire. Someone who is about to discover her murderous little hobby.
The thing is, it’s not sensible to tangle with a part-time serial killer, even one who is distracted by attending a weekly bereavement support group and trying to get her art career off the ground. Claire will do anything to keep her secret hidden – not to mention the bodies buried in her garden. Let the games begin…
Publication Date: 21st September
TW: death, murder, violence, graphic violence, gore, drowning, elderly abuse, sexual abuse, emotional abuse, confinement, infidelity, grief, counselling, trauma, suicide
My Thoughts:
You’d Look Better As a Ghost was the darkly comedic thriller of my dreams.
This was a book deeply rooted in the blackest pits of hellish humour that I adore. It has a narrator like no other in the form of Claire. Here is a deeply messed up little kid all grown up as a vicious serial killer. Her kills have a twist of ingenuity to them that often matches the crime, but also fall as bluntly as her hammer. Wallace introduces us to her uniquely twisted moral code behind her murderous acts. For some of them, there is a genuine sense of the skewed forms of justice Claire subscribes to, others of them are over such petty grievances or even just innocents in her path. That complexity, mixed with a gnarly sense of bleakness and despair, makes for a fascinating and endlessly challenging protagonist.
Wallace interspersed the narrative with glimpses into an abusive childhood, which is hinted to have shaped future events. However, it is never allowed to excuse the heinous acts. Make no mistake, Wallace does not champion her bloodthirsty protagonist. Instead, you are allowed to comprehend the three-dimensional humanity beneath it all. This is a book deeply characterised by grief and the drawn-out process of loss. It is at times riotously hilarious, others heart-breakingly numb and real. Wallace tackles cases ripped from the headlines around the abuse of the elderly within care homes and that forms a central thread of the book. This, as all else, is given nuance. There are some gut-churning, sickening moments of violence from many forms of monsters within these pages.
You’d Look Better as a Ghost is an acerbically witty and knowing nod with its depiction of a protagonist caught in the web of her own malice, always choosing to go further down the rabbit hole to balance her own scales of justice.
Finally, I’d like to delve into Bright Young Women by Jessica Knoll. Thank you to Pan Macmillan for sending me an eARC in exchange for an honest review.
January 1978. Tallahassee. When sorority president Pamela Schumacher is startled awake at 3 a.m. by a strange sound, she’s shocked to encounter a scene of implausible violence – two of her friends dead and two others, maimed. Thrust into a terrifying mystery, Pamela becomes entangled in a crime that captivates public interest for more than four decades…
On the other side of the country, Tina Cannon has found peace in Seattle after years of hardship. When Ruth, her best friend, goes missing from Lake Sammamish State Park in broad daylight, surrounded by thousands of beachgoers on a beautiful summer day, Tina devotes herself to finding out what happened to her.
When Tina hears about the tragedy in Tallahassee, she suspects the same man the papers refer to is responsible. Determined to make him answer for what he did to Ruth, she travels to Florida on a collision course with Pamela – and one last impending tragedy.
Publication Date: 28th September
TW: violence, death, murder, graphic violence, sexual assault, rape, blood, racism, sexism, homophobia, misogyny, kidnapping,
My Thoughts:
Bright Young Women takes one of the most infamous cases in history and completely reframes it in this poignant, devastating and raw reexamination of the treatment of the women in the case.
I absolutely adored how Knoll ensured to never use the name of the defendant within the pages of the book. It reversed the power dynamics associated with the case, where the ‘superstar’ name has been allowed to entirely remove the humanity of the victims. They have been relegated, forgotten and often cast into oblivion in favour of the flashy story of the misunderstood murderer. It is a move deeply entrenched in prejudice, misogyny, racism and homophobia. This book excavates those factors and digs into them deeply, exposing the horrific reality of which victims are ‘worthy’ of justice. Knoll has crafted a book that is devastating in so many ways, but also carries within it a core of hope and strength.
This is embodied in our protagonists: Pamela, Ruth and Tina. All have their lives deeply affected by the actions of a monstrous man, but they are not solely defined by these moments. They are fierce, intelligent and deeply loving people that deserve to be remembered for everything else they achieve & their moments of love, light and laughter. Knoll works hard to present them as three-dimensional characters whose voices leap off the page and straight into your hearts. Though you know one of their fates from the start, it does not stop you from falling deeply in love with them. They are all so authentic and brilliant, with a lot of consideration into their personal, platonic and romantic relationships. Knoll clearly demonstrates how they are the centre of their own web, with a community of people around them who love them.
Bright Young Women hits back hard at the decades of repression and silencing of the victims of one of the most infamous serial killers. They have always been the footnotes of his story – until now.
A Short Book Lover 
4 thoughts on “Mini Review Monday #121”