I’m sharing another instalment of my Mini Review Mondays, the most recent of which was the other 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 Horror Movie by Paul Tremblay. Thank you to Titan for sending me an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Summer, 1993 – a group of young guerrilla filmmakers spend four weeks making Horror Movie, a notorious, disturbing, art-house horror film. Steeped in mystery and tragedy, the film has taken on a mythic, cult renown, despite only three of the original scenes ever being released to the public.
Decades later, a big budget reboot is in the works, and Hollywood turns to the only surviving cast member – the man who played ‘the Thin Kid’, the masked teen at the centre of it all. He remembers all too well the secrets buried within the original screenplay, the bizarre events of the filming, and the crossed lines on set.
Caught in a nightmare of masks and appearances, facile Hollywood personalities and the strangeness of fan conventions, the Thin Kid spins a tale of past and present, scripts and reality, and what the camera lets us see. But at what cost do we revisit our demons?
After all these years, the monster the world never saw will finally be heard.
Publication Date: 11th June
TW: death, murder, violence, self-harm, suicide, suicidal ideation, burning, torture, terminal illness, grief, bullying
My Thoughts:
Horror Movie is classically chilling nightmare fuel. It slowly gnaws at your bones and lets the doubt and fear crawl in.
This was an incredibly unnerving book full of dread as you recount the infamous events of a cult horror film that never was. The concept of this is fantastic, taking a new angle on the classic cursed film trope. I loved how we heard from our unnamed narrator, who played the original Thin Kid, but also got snippets from the screenplay. It adds this meta gloss of discovering the story within the story – the film and the book become this ouroboros, becoming and devouring one another. This speaks to the constant repetition of narratives sometimes identified in modern cinema, particularly within the horror genre. It can feel like the same ideas are being explored over and over again. Also, it adds a weariness to the book, a sense of doomed inevitability where tragedy will fall once again. You feel stuck within this endless cycle of death and destruction, unable to escape the story that is already written for you. It is exceptionally good horror.
I also loved how The Thin Kid’s narration was just decidedly off, even in his scenes outside of the film. We know so little about him, with a brief sketch of a time before the film, but we never even know his name really. He becomes a figure that we hear from constantly but we never really know truly. This allows Tremblay to build up some brilliant commentary about the nature of monstrosity, corruption and the kind of anger that smoulders. It is also a book that very much grapples with facing the traumas of your past and confronting them, feeling trapped by the past and again in that endless cycle.
There will be no spoilers here but there are a few scenes that have rooted themselves in my brain and refuse to leave, no matter how much I wish them to. Tremblay, you know what you did.
Horror Movie encapsulates what I love about horror – it is masterfully told and creeps under your skin.
Next up, I’d like to talk about A Sea of Wolves by Sarah Street. Thank you to Hachette Children’s Group for sending me an eARC in exchange for an honest review.
A fifty-year-old treaty between pirates and the city of Bray lies in tatters, so Mersey sets out to free her city – and herself – from the clutches of the Heartless King. But when her reckless plan fails, she finds herself captured by the world’s most notorious pirate crew.
As Mersey battles between fighting for Bray’s safety and falling into the arms of the ship’s cold-blooded first mate, Golde, she’s soon caught up in the beginnings of a war; one she knows will have disastrous consequences for the people she loves, but just might be the thing to set her free.
Amid lies, betrayal and a blossoming love for someone she is supposed to want dead, Mersey is torn between two lives.
Publication Date: 20th June
TW: death, murder, graphic violence, amputation, injury detail, manipulation
My Thoughts:
A Sea of Wolves was a fantastic and thoroughly enjoyable journey across the sea with curses, murder, messed up families and a bit of magic.
Sarah Street knows how to write the type of book that utterly sweeps you off your feet and into its wild and whirling world. This is a page turner and a half. I was glued to the pages, needing to know how Mersey would be able to get through the next scenario. It is not a book that plays around as well – mired in blood and guts and gore. It is dark and unrelenting at times, with a sharp sense of stakes. Everything may come to ruin and you must know how it will all play out. In that sense, I really enjoyed the Red Riding Hood inspiration that ran throughout the book. This is nowhere near the story you know, but you may recognise a few motifs. It is cleverly done.
I have a real soft spot for stories about pirates and this had a great sense of found family amongst the crew, though it is also darker with the curse looming over them all. I was intrigued by the Pirate King and am glad to discover he has his own book, which I instantly reserved from my local library. The shining stars of this book for me though were Mersey and Golde. This was an exceptional enemies to lovers arc and I relished every second of it. You can tell it is doomed and yet Street infuses it with the cruellest of emotions, hope. It is just such a wonderful story to get lost in. They both have these uncaring exteriors, forged by trauma and bloodshed, as survival tactics but both are deeply caring people who love their family, chosen or born into. They would do anything for the people they love and therein lies the tragedy. Their opposing sides and the small matter of some magic give them overwhelming odds to face. You also have them trying to kill or harm one another for much of the book. Street builds their dynamic in a way that feels organic and that you completely root for.
A Sea of Wolves is a beautiful, bittersweet and bloody YA fantasy that I would highly recommend.
Finally, I’d like to delve into Hearts That Cut by Kika Hatzopoulou. Thank you to Penguin Random House Children’s UK for sending me an eARC in exchange for an honest review.
It’s been five weeks since Io, descendant of the Fates, left the city of Alante to follow the golden threads in search of the god on the other end. Her investigation takes a turn for the worse when her only lead vanishes, but not before she gathers some crucial clues.
Now Io has a new mystery to solve – sibling disappearances across the Wastelands that seem to be connected to the murders in Alante. And all signs point to Nanzy, the Golden City, as the centre of the conspiracy.
As Io journeys to Nanzy, she makes powerful enemies, finds allies and uncovers a horrifying plot that traces back centuries. The more she learns, the more she suspects that the future of the world rests on her shoulders. But how much of the future is Io’s choice, and how much is simply her fate…?
Publication Date: 20th June
TW: mind control, death, murder, violence, possession, manipulation, natural disaster
My Thoughts:
Hearts That Cut was a stellar sequel that I thoroughly enjoyed. Hatzopoulou has created a stunning duology that explores family, fate and the ways we can carve out our own path in both.
I absolutely adored Threads That Bind when I read it last year and wanted to snatch up the sequel instantly. This was excellent, taking the stakes up to dizzy heights and expanding this imaginative, rich world even more. The worldbuilding in this was great as we got to explore new places and meet new faces along the way. I liked learning more about this creative world and hope that we maybe might get more books in the same world again. It gave it this sense of scale and scope that made it even more epic, but also served as a reminder of just how much was truly at stake. Also, it deepened the sense of political conspiracy kickstarted in the first book. It leans into that sense of mystery and noir, expanding it to new territory. There were a few moments where my heart sank because everything was suddenly clarified in a new and horrifying way.
At the centre of it all stands Io. She is still a fantastic protagonist, forever changed by the events of Threads That Bind, but loyal, courageous and doggedly determined to follow the threads and her heart. I still think the magic system and corresponding powers are some of the most inventive I’ve read in recent YA fantasy and we go deeper here again. Io has such fascinating powers and we get to explore her capabilities in different settings. Her dynamic is also very different as she is paired up with Bianca for much of the book. Their snippy, sarcastic and bickering bond has a underlying tinge of respect and love for one another – something previously unimaginable.
Hearts That Cut is a worthy successor to a powerful debut that wraps up an enthralling, epic tale that will echo onwards.
A Short Book Lover 
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