Friday, October 11, 2024

Review: The Unfinished by Cheryl Isaacs

by Cheryl Isaacs
Release Date: September 3, 2024
2024 Heartdrum
Ebook ARC; 336 Pages
ISBN: 978-0063287389
ASIN: B0CSPJJY98
Audiobook: B0CSLJKKNZ
Genre: Fiction / YA / Horror
Source: Review copy from publisher

3.5 / 5 Stars

Summary
When small-town athlete Avery’s morning run leads her to a strange pond in the middle of the forest, she awakens a horror the townspeople of Crook’s Falls have long forgotten.

Though Avery had heard whispers of monsters from her Kanyen’kehá:ka (Mohawk) relatives, she’s never really connected to her Indigenous culture or understood the stories. But the Elders she has distanced herself from now may have the answers she needs.

When Key, her best friend and longtime crush, is the next to disappear, Avery is faced with a choice: listen to the Kanyen’kehá:ka and save the town but lose her friend forever…or listen to her heart and risk everything to get Key back.
 
My Thoughts
The Unfinished is an interesting young adult horror story that weaves elements of the author’s indigenous culture with elements of her own imagination, focusing quite a bit on generational pain and one’s identity.  It is full of tension and supernatural lore rather than gore, but I enjoy a good psychological horror as much as the other and I enjoyed the author’s exploration of trauma, regret, friendship, and self-growth.  But while I enjoyed the overall story, the pace was somewhat slow or erratic, and the tension was simply not there.

Avery is the main character and her flaws and her choices drive the story. Full of angst about her future as well as her relationships with her friends and family, she makes some poor choices that affect the rest of the community.  Because of a choice she makes, she awakens an ancient evil and begins seeing things around her. Her behaviour is drive through what she sees, but she offers little explanation to others and the visions simply vanish at some point so I am unsure as to why they were there to begin with.  I did think the interactions with those around her made sense as she was unsure about her future, had pressure on her to get a good scholarship due to her family situation, so her reactions made sense. I did really like her thoughts with regards to her heritage and how disconnected she felt to her people; the growth in this area was very well written and I like the fact the author clearly shows how complicated and difficult the path will continue to be, but she has to make an effort as well.

The overall pacing of the book was somewhat erratic; I really enjoyed the first part of the book as it was a bit creepy and the supernatural aspects were quite fun. But honestly, when the action started picking up towards the middle, there were a couple of things that slowed down the narrative. First of all, Avery’s constant introspection really had no place in these sections of the story as it takes away from the tension. You have these creepy people coming after you, but you have time to reflect on life’s choices at that moment? And second of all, the ragged man and company could have been utilised in a way that made them scarier. Personally, in real life, I would be running as fast and as far as I could, not having a discussion with my friends at that moment.  Make it scary by increasing the tension and the danger. The reader can understand Avery’s growth through her actions as well as her thoughts. There doesn’t need to be an explanation EVERY SINGLE TIME.

Verdict
The Unfinished definitely had a lot going for it, but I don’t feel it lived up to its promise.  And while it was still enjoyable, I did wish for more suspense and tension as the pacing was slowed down quite a bit through too much inner monologue going on.  Again, I think authors sometimes forget readers can pick up on clues of growth and other things through a character’s actions, we don’t need to read paragraphs of their thoughts as well.  And while I enjoyed the subtle aspect of the pond and what it represented, some of the backstory was glossed over, something I think would have been interesting. I would recommend this book if you like a character who experienced significant growth which included learning more about her indigenous culture.  

 


Monday, October 7, 2024

Review: Trespass Agaisnt Us by Leon Kemp

by Leon Kemp
Release Date: July 16, 2024
2024 HarperTeen
Ebook ARC; 304 Pages
ISBN: 978-0063324855
ASIN: B0CLJYCHJQ
Audiobook: B0CLMJKM7G
Genre: Fiction / Horror
Source: Review copy from publisher
 
3 / 5 Stars
 
Summary
Two years ago, Riley visited the abandoned and allegedly haunted religious reform school Dominic House with his boyfriend, Ethan, and his best friends, Colton and Vee. Ethan never came out. Colton’s leg will never quite heal, Vee is branded as hysterical, and Riley has horrific scars as a reminder of that night.

Now, at eighteen, Riley hasn’t exactly moved on, but he’s kept away from all things paranormal. Until legendary ghost chaser Jordan Jones shows up with an offer: return to Dominic House with her to film an episode of her Spirit Seekers TV show.

Riley may have vowed never to return, but he has unfinished business at Dominic House. With a reluctant Colton and Vee at his side, Riley is determined to find out what happened to Ethan once and for all.
    
 
My Thoughts
Trespass Against Us was quite atmospheric and I definitely found it creepy at times. Because the story features three characters who have been traumatized by a past event, the author does make use of flashback episodes in order to compare the present and the past, something I enjoyed as I was able to compare the reactions of the characters from the previous scenario to now and understand a bit of their character development.  Riley, Vee, and Colton nearly died the first time at the haunted house, so understanding how their enthusiasm for exploring haunted houses changed to experiencing major trauma was important to the story line and I do think the author did that very well.

The plot moved along rather quickly and I did find it quite gripping at times.  Having shadows around you and constant whispering would have sent me right out the door so I always admire when characters stick around to discover what is occurring in a setting such as this.

For me, the main issue I had with the story was the character development as I just didn’t connect with any of them and they felt pretty one-dimensional.  There were a few discrepancies within the story line and I couldn’t help rolling my eyes every time Jordan referred to Riley and company as ‘kids’ considering they were 18 years old.  Even if Jordan and her crew don’t believe in ghosts, they could respect the fact that something serious happened to Riley and his friends a couple of years ago and leave the poor jokes at the door. Also, considering someone did not return from the previous stay at the house, why people would want to hide what they saw/heard/experienced is beyond me. If this is just a means to create suspense, I don’t think lack of communication works very well as a trope as it’s pretty annoying.

Verdict
Trespass Against Us had a nice creepy atmosphere with a dual timeline that I enjoyed. While the pacing was quick, it could be erratic and sometimes skipped over previous things that were mentioned as if the reader would forget they were there, and the character development needed work as I had difficulty empathizing with any of them. That being said, it was still interesting and I would definitely read another book by this author.
                  

 


Friday, October 4, 2024

Review: The House that Horror Built by Christina Henry

by Christina Henry
Release Date: May 14, 2024
2024 Berkley
Ebook & Audiobook ARC; 317 Pages
ISBN: 978-0593638217
ASIN: B0CFPKP9PF
Audiobook: B0CGRYRD4W
Genre: Fiction / Horror
Source: Review copy from publisher
 
1 / 5 Stars
 
Summary
Harry Adams loves horror movies, so it’s no coincidence that she accepted a job cleaning house for horror-movie director Javier Castillo. His forbidding gray-stone Chicago mansion, Bright Horses, is filled from top to bottom with terrifying props and costumes as well as glittering awards from his career making movies that thrilled audiences—until family tragedy and scandal forced him to vanish from the industry.

Javier values discretion, and Harry always tries to keep the house immaculate, her head down, and her job safe. Then she hears noises from behind a locked door, noises that sound remarkably like a human voice calling for help. Harry knows not asking questions is a vital part of keeping her job, but she soon discovers that the house may be home to secrets she can’t ignore.
 
My Thoughts
The House that Horror Built was a huge disappointment for me. I wasn’t a fan of the main character as she whined for pretty much the entire book, and that’s in between hearing things that go bump in the night and just carrying on like it’s nothing because, after all is said and done, she is a single mother and nothing is worse than that. Can you hear the sarcasm there? I spent 300 pages listening her whine about being a single mom. It wasn’t being a single mom that was the problem, it was the fact she had a huge chip on her shoulder and as soon as anyone said anything negative about riding buses or doing anything she did with her son, she immediately got defensive and really annoying. 

Harry was the MC and was the most contradictory character in the book. You were witness to her thoughts about everything and everyone, but she constantly judges people which leads her to leap to ignorant conclusions about them and events, waves off things likes things moving in the house as if they are nothing, and bases all of her current problems on her childhood which is also contradictory as her suffering during that time period doesn’t really align with her current behaviours, only being used as an excuse for them. Most of her worries really amounted to nothing so the backstory was kind of useless in this situation.  She thinks of herself as this strong person who makes good decisions for her son, but I definitely did not see her this way at all.

The rest of the characters are kind of lumped into one-dimensional ones that I couldn’t really separate or name after having read the book.

The plot was so slow and nothing really happened for about 80%. I really wish I had DNF the book as it was a waste of my time.  Most of the time was spent with Harry cleaning the house, worrying about money and how she was going to find another apartment, and that was pretty much it.  Yeah, the backstories were thrown in there somewhere, but they didn’t really enhance the plot at all. The last 20% is where all the action happened, but it happened so fast I am not really sure what exactly happened. So, we’ve got nothing, nothing, nothing, plot, ending, done. Where’s the tension, the mystery, the action?

Verdict
The House that Horror Built just annoyed me to bits. I love haunted houses, I love horror, but I did not love this.  Books don’t have to be gory to scare the crap out of me, and even if there had been some type of mystery included I may have elevated my rating, but there really was nothing I could grasp. The plot and the character development just weren't there. This was a very painful read. And while I do not recommend this book, consider taking a look at some of the other books by this author, such as The Ghost Tree.


Thursday, October 3, 2024

Review: Heads Will Roll by Josh Winning

by Josh Winning
Release Date: July 30, 2024
2024 G.P. Putnam's Sons
Ebook ARC: 314 Pages
ISBN: 978-0593544693
ASIN: B0CM5LXFZY
Audiobook: B0CMJSH7WZ
Genre: Fiction / Horror
Source: Review copy from publisher

3 / 5 Stars 

Summary
After sitcom star Willow tweeted herself into infamy and had to be dragged blind-drunk out of a swimming pool, her agent shipped her off to the woodsy and wonderfully anonymous confines of Camp Castaway. Tucked away in the trees of upstate New York, Castaway is a summer camp for adults in desperate need of leaving behind their mistakes, their social media accounts, their lives. No real names, no phones…no way to call for help. But the peaceful vibe is shattered when a terrifying woman pops shrieking from the wardrobe in Willow’s room. Soon after, one of the campers vanishes. Is Willow about to get cancelled all over again, this time for good? Soon, terror grips the group, campers begin to lose their heads—literally!—and Willow and her new friends are on the run. 
 
My Thoughts
Heads Will Roll has an intriguing cover page which is what originally drew me to this book. I love reading camp horror, no matter how many tropes are included as they can be campy and fun and remind me of my teen years when my friends and I had sleepovers and watched these things ad nauseam.  And though there was quite a bit of atmosphere in this book and I enjoyed the inclusion of the Knock-Knock Nancy local legend and how it was woven into the story, I don’t think the overall story quite worked.  

Willow is the main character although you get a few chapters from other characters’ POV. While I enjoyed her character and waited to find out what she actually did to deserve being cancelled, I don’t feel like there was much character development as she felt very much one-dimensional.  I did like how she thought some things through before doing them and liked some of the references to previous movies and such as that was fun. Because so much happens in a book such as this one, you don’t really get a chance to know all of the characters before they are…knocked off?

The plot moved along rather quickly, and while I definitely enjoyed the first half of the book for its suspense and intrigue, the second half kind of lost its momentum for me as it became a bit repetitive. Don’t get me wrong as there is plenty of slash and gash, but the pace was affected when the slashing started and this affected the overall tension.  To be honest, I wasn’t sure how I should take the book; was it a serious slasher or was it a campy summer camp slasher making fun of the genre? Either way, the first half of the book was better than the second half even if the terror level was supposed to be higher in the second.

Verdict
Heads Will Roll was still a fun book and I did enjoy it quite a bit. There were some moments that stood out where I was caught unawares and I thought the overall concept was fun as it seems to have that feeling of summer camp and what it’s like when things go creepily wrong. I did think the both the plot and character development were a bit lacking as the plot seemed to become a bit repetitive in the second half and it lost momentum as it focused more on the slasher element. I also wasn’t a fan of the ending as it felt like things were somewhat unresolved.  Overall though, if you like slasher camp novels, I would give this one a try.


Monday, September 9, 2024

Review: Haunted Ever After by Jen DeLuca

by Jen DeLuca
Release Date: August 13, 2024
2024 Berkley
ARC Paperback; 352 Pages
ISBN: 978-0593641217
ASIN:B0CN8KY134
Audiobook: B0CPTFL3TC
Genre: Fiction / Romance / Paranormal
Source: Review copy from publisher

3 / 5 Stars

Summary
Cassie Rutherford possibly overreacted to all her friends getting married and having kids by leaving Orlando and buying a flipped historic cottage in Boneyard Key. Though there’s something unusual with her new home (her laptop won’t charge in any outlets, and the poetry magnets on her fridge definitely didn’t read “WRONG” and “MY HOUSE” when she put them up), she’s charmed by the colorful history surrounding her. And she's catching a certain vibe from the grumpy coffee shop owner whenever he slips her a free slice of banana bread along with her coffee order.

As Nick takes her on a ghost tour, sharing town gossip that tourists don't get to hear, and they spend nights side-by-side looking into the former owners of her haunted cottage, their connection solidifies into something very real and enticing. But Cassie's worried she’s in too deep with this whole (haunted) home ownership thing… and Nick's afraid to get too close in case Cassie gets scared away for good.
 
My Thoughts
Haunted Ever After is the first book in a new series, Boneyard Key, and I enjoyed it quite a bit. But was there anything different about this story that you haven't read in previous books? No, there wasn't. You have the woman who buys a haunted house, meets a man who at first appears to be grumpy for reasons we will discover, they connect on a personal level, work together to discover why her house is being haunted, and you get my point. However, I did enjoy their banter and their connection and definitely enjoyed the paranormal aspect of this story even if it was quite predictable.

Both Cassie and Nick are charming characters even if somewhat stereotypical; Cassie is the newbie having moved to the small town to escape the fact her friends were moving on with their families and their lives while she felt stuck and Nick is the stereotypical grumpy man having been ditched by his long-time girlfriend and knows everyone in town.  Despite this, I felt the connection between the two of them and was glad there was no major drama and angst involved in this story other than the usual stuff that comes up when two people don't quite know each other.  Cassie is very skeptical at first, but I understood this as I would be as well. However, what I never understand in any of these books is why people don't do RESEARCH to find out more about their houses when weird stuff starts happening.  You live in an old house where everything says scared them as a kid and you just brush it off.  

The beginning of the novel actually starts quite well, with witty and engaging dialogue and I was enjoying myself quite a bit. I always like the atmosphere of a small town and enjoy meeting quirky characters and this seemed like it was going this way. However, the middle of the book was quite repetitive and although I enjoyed the research, I did feel like both the characters and the paranormal aspects were not developed, which meant the ending felt rushed and disconnected from the rest of the story, leaping into more of a romance section.  Because I felt the author wasn't quite sure how to focus on the paranormal elements or the romance without compromising either, it felt like neither were developed causing the novel to slow down considerably and I just felt compelled to finish it quickly.

Verdict
Haunted Ever After had a lot of good things going for it, but lack of character and plot development in the middle of the book slowed it down considerably leaving the ending feeling diminished and not quite as interesting as it could have been.  However, the overall story was charming, and there were a lot of intriguing characters, ones I expect to see in future books.  Overall, the book starts rather strongly, has a great premise, but struggles to keep that charm going for the entire book. But there was enough in there to keep me intrigued enough to look forward to seeing what comes next. 

 


Sunday, September 1, 2024

Review: Fall of Civilizations: Stories of Greatness and Decline by Paul Cooper

by Paul Cooper
Release Date: July 23, 2024
2024 Hanover Square Press
Ebook ARC: 785 Pages
ISBN: 978-1335013415
ASIN: B0CPYPXTYS
Audiobook: B0CSLVQK87
Genre: Non-fiction / World History
Source: Review copy from publisher

4 / 5 Stars

Summary
Based on the podcast with over 100 million downloads, Fall of Civilizations brilliantly explores how a range of ancient societies rose to power and sophistication, and how they tipped over into collapse.

Across the centuries, we journey from the great empires of Mesopotamia to those of Khmer and Vijayanagara in Asia and Songhai in West Africa; from Byzantium to the Maya, Inca and Aztecs of Central America; from Roman Britain to Rapa Nui. With meticulous research, breathtaking insight and dazzling, empathic storytelling, historian and novelist Paul Cooper evokes the majesty and jeopardy of these ancient civilizations, and asks what it might have felt like for a person alive at the time to witness the end of their world.
 
My Thoughts
Fall of Civilizations is an interesting read for history buffs, one that goes into detail but doesn't overwhelm the reader and forces them to look up every other name and place for more information. The writing style is logical, and focuses on societies that rose and for various reasons, fell from power, sometimes with little memory they existed. I have always been fascinated by these societies so when I came across this author's podcast a few years ago, I was instantly drawn to the stories and I was glad to see a book written based on some of his podcasts. Because each podcast episode is lengthy, I knew going into this book the information would not be as in-depth and I was fine with that.
 
This book focuses on several distinct civilizations, from the Sumerian Empire to the Aztec Empire to Easter Island, and each one was interesting in its own way. The cultures range from ancient to more modern, but the author sticks to a similar approach for each civilization, moving from the culture of the people and why and how they settles where they did, how they grew in power including the kings/empires, the agriculture and other important things that made up that culture, the reasons why the culture grew to importance, and the possible reasons for its decline.  The impact of other cultures around these civilizations was never ignored and the author would also include notable achievements by each culture as well, such as the invention of writing, mathematics, agriculture, arts, painting, poetry, etc... Because the author uses many different sources, there are many different interpretations for events and he definitely goes out of his way to explore the different thoughts and ideas that exist with the archaeological world, often leaving it up to the reader to think for themselves. And while the sources were extremely comprehensive, I know there are other thoughts to some of the events that were not mentioned in this book that are worth exploring, but that is why history is so much fun to study.  I did appreciate the focus of the book as it didn't meander all over the place with questionable theories and this and that. I may not necessarily agree with everything in the book, but the reading experience was enjoyable nonetheless. And I have to give a particular shoutout to the Sumerian and Easter Island sections as they were superbly done.

The writing style was engaging, and his use of a variety of sources was fascinating, some of which I intend to read as this book made me excited to explore more within this topic, even if I have a huge grasp already. That is what is great about a book like this: it's meant to teach and educate, yes, but more than that, it's meant to excite the mind into exploring more and this is definitely what it has done for me. Even if you have a lot of knowledge about the rise and fall of civilizations, or you have little knowledge, I think there is something for everyone in this book. 

 


Tuesday, August 27, 2024

Review: In the Lonely Hours by Shannon Morgan

by Shannon Morgan
Release Date: July 23, 2024
2024 Kensington
Ebook ARC: 336 Pages
ISBN: 978-1496743909
ASIN: B0CLZ488YP
Audiobook: B0D88RPT2H
Genre: Fiction / Gothic / Mystery
Source: Review copy from publisher
 
3.5 / 5 Stars
 
Summary
On a small island in a remote corner of northwest Scotland lies Maundrell castle, owned by its wealthy namesake family for centuries—until now. Edwina Nunn is shocked to learn a relative she never heard of has bequeathed the castle and its land to her. What awaits Edie and her teenage daughter, Neve, is even more startling, for the castle is home to a multitude of ghosts.

Yet there’s a strange beauty in the austere architecture and the eerie, bloody waters of Loch na Scáthanna, the Lake of Shadows. Beguiled by a frightened ghost who gazes longingly out of the castle’s windows, Edie and Neve are drawn to the legends shrouding the island and the mystery of the Maundrell Red—a priceless diamond that disappeared decades before.
 
My Thoughts
In the Lonely Hours had a setting that I really loved, including an isolated castle with a mysterious past set in a remote part of Scotland.  The Maundrell family had many secrets and Edie decided to check out her inheritance as she knew little about her past having been adopted as a child.  I found their story interesting as they checked out the castle to get it ready to put on the market, but for the life of me, how they thought they could do this in one week without knowing anything about it, stumps me. And while I love these types of settings, I am now necessarily a fan of the lack of research trope for propelling a story forward. And if you can't find anything on the internet, why not stay in the village or local areas and do it from there. 

Edie's daughter, Neve, was a character I preferred over Edie, but the story was told from Edie's perspective. Sometimes I felt like Edie was the daughter as she made some really poor choices. First of all, when Edie inherits the castle, she learns that every member of her family had died there on Samhain and she and her daughter are now the sole survivors. So, what in the name of good parenting would she be doing dragging her daughter to the edge of nowhere, to an area in which she has little familiarity the week before Samhain? And she unquestionably lets strangers stay in her house just because they were squatting there when she arrived. What? Hell, no. 

Mungo ended up being my favourite character and he became even more endearing when I learned the author based the character off her own son who is autistic. And while there were many different themes running through this book such as mother-daughter relationships, found family, trust, and homosexuality, the one that stood out to me centered on Mungo and the way autistic people were horribly treated with electro-convulsive therapy. And how it was used for many types of psychological ailments. 

I was actually invested in the story for the first half of the book, but all of the ghosts eventually got tiresome. There was a reason for it, but by the time I learned more about the whys and whatnots, I lost interest and was looking forward to the ending.  I just thought the plot had too much going on, and I focused mostly on the Mungo-one because it interested me the most. The pacing of the story did slow down somewhat as well, but I think the author was trying to ensure both timelines matched up so we didn't learn too much too early, and this is why I am not necessarily a fan of dual timelines.  There ended up being a lot of repetition that was unnecessary. It's too bad as the tension was actually quite high in the first half of the book. And I will mention that I enjoyed the timeline in the past much more than the one in the present.

Verdict
In the Lonely Hours was still a decent book, with a solid mystery. I did love the atmosphere of the old castle as it certainly was remote and dreary enough to meet my expectations, but I still would not call this a horror novel, more of a paranormal mystery.  I wasn't a fan of the main character however, and I did find the pacing of the plot to be uneven and somewhat predictable, partly due to the dual timeline.  If you like atmosphere, then this book may just be the one for you.

 


Saturday, August 24, 2024

Review: Disturbing the Dead by Kelley Armstrong

by Kelley Armstrong
Release Date: May 7, 2024
2024 Minotaur Books
Ebook ARC & Audiobook; 337 Pages
ISBN: 978-1250321282
ASIN: B0CG4KDR8C
Audiobook: B0CKM3PQYC
Genre: Fiction / Historical / Mystery
Source: Review copy from publisher
 
3.5 / 5 Stars
 
Summary
Victorian Scotland is becoming less strange to modern-day homicide detective Mallory Atkinson. Though inhabiting someone else’s body will always be unsettling, even if her employers know that she’s not actually housemaid Catriona Mitchell, ever since the night both of them were attacked in the same dark alley 150 years apart. Mallory likes her job as assistant to undertaker/medical examiner Dr. Duncan Gray, and is developing true friends―and feelings―in this century.

So, understanding the Victorian fascination with death, Mallory isn't that surprised when she and her friends are invited to a mummy unwrapping at the home of Sir Alastair Christie. When their host is missing when it comes time to unwrap the mummy, Gray and Mallory are asked to step in. And upon closer inspection, it’s not a mummy they’ve unwrapped, but a much more modern body.
 
My Thoughts
Disturbing the Dead is the third book in this historical mystery series that has a unique twist as the main character is from the modern time, but inhabits a body from the 19th century. Unfortunately, the person in whose body she inhabits didn't always make wise choices, so not everyone is convinced that a knock on the head is the reason for her sudden personality shift or her sudden newfound knowledge. I find this aspect of the novel quite fascinating; how do you inhabit a body from 150 years ago without revealing who you are and what you know? And blend all this in with an interesting murder mystery, and I was hooked from the beginning. However, there were still some things that made me roll my eyes, more than once.
 
Mallory continues to be an intriguing character and I love her daily struggles trying to reign in her knowledge of the future so she doesn't affect the timeline in any way or shape when things were discovered and by whom.  I personally think this would be the greatest obstacle for me as the knowledge comes so naturally that we often say things or do things without realizing we are doing them, and these actions would be so strange to people during this time period.  Having found her place within the household, she now struggles with who to let into her small circle of people who have knowledge of what happened to her. As the circle grows, I am becoming a lot more intrigued with the other characters who surround Mallory as more secrets are revealed. And I just love the housekeeper!! I won't say anything more about her as I can't without revealing any information, but I definitely didn't pick up on that thread at all. 

The plot moves at a consistent pace, spending equal time on story and character development, something I think is important to the series.  There were plenty of twists and turns, some of which caught me off guard. Now, that being said, one of the things I loved in the previous books was the tension between Mallory and Duncan and the stress of trying to survive in Victorian England. Having to come to grips with the expectations on women, class structure, medical inadequacy, etc... put a strain on Mallory and she made a lot of mistakes and misjudgments. In this book, none of that was included and she suddenly seemed able to maneuver her way through a lot more easily which affected the overall tension and fun of the book.  And despite how awful Catriona was portrayed, I expected more from the story than what happened and was so incredibly disappointed by the ending. This sort of went against all the themes about women's rights and redemptive arcs developing in this series.  And don't even get me started on the letter/time business. Nope!!

Verdict
Disturbing the Dead was still an interesting book and I enjoyed the themes that were continuing to be developed in this book about exploitation, women's rights, social class, medicine, poverty, and policing. I do enjoy it more when Mallory struggles during this time period as any one of us modern women would not enjoy the lack of liberties that exist and have major difficulties adjusting as we were just not brought up to manipulate and deal with societal norms in a different manner. Although I think this is the weakest book of the three, there was still enough in this book to keep me invested and I will definitely be continuing the series.