Midnight Bluelight Special by Seanan McGuire

Discount Armageddon by Seanan McGuire

The Last Time I Lied by Riley Sager

Ushers by Joe Hill

Star Mother by Charlie N. Holmberg

The Scenic Route by Christina Baker Kline

The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires by Grady Hendrix

A Head Full of Ghosts by Paul Tremblay

Certain Dark Things by Silvia Moreno Garcia

Better Part of Darkness by Kelly Gay

Keeper of the Enchanted Rooms by Charlie N. Holmberg

The Hanging City by Charlie N. Holmberg

The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes by Suzanne Collins

How to Fall in Love with a Demon by Lola Glass

The Color of Magic by Terry Pratchett

Still the Sun by Charlie N. Holmberg

The Sunlit Man by Brandon Sanderson

Yumi and the Nightmare Painter by Brandon Sanderson

Sometimes, Amazon Prime monthly reads throws out some welcome surprises. This might be one of those; I'm not entirely sure. It was captivating, and I was invested in the story from the very beginning. That being said, I feel like there should have been more. The story was interesting, but when I scratch the surface a bit, there isn't a lot of depth. It feels like it should have more, but somehow comes off empty. Maybe it's because there isn't really a happy ever after, and that's absolutely ok. If magic existed in the real world, this would probably be a good example of what would go wrong. And it would be just another day.

Rating: 4/5 | There is something here worth checking out.

Maybe it was because I had just come off the high of Tress and the Emerald Sea, or maybe I was just not in the mood for a moody, unlikable main character. Whatever it was, this book didn't hit the same way the first book Sanderson's Secret Projects did. It's probably tha I'm just a sucker for a fairy tale, and this was no fairy tale.

The world-building is fantastic here. However, it would be silly to expect any less from Sanderson. The characters do grow on you, but I wasn't as fond of them as those in Tress. Since the main character is very much in his head for most of the story, you don't get as much development from the others. I would like it known, though, that I wholeheartedly wish Brandon would write the actual handbook that we get glimpses of throughout this story. That I think would be Hitchhiker's Guide awesome!

Rating: 3/5 | I didn't hate it.

I've been determined to get back to the Cosmere. I couldn't have made a better choice for re-entering Sanderson's universe. Tress was a surprisingly heartfelt read. I loved the characters, and would love to see this epic adventure come to life on the big screen. Someone please start turning his books into movies. I beg you!

Rating: 5/5 | READ IT!

This was not my favorite Riley Sager novel, but I didn't hate it. I didn't even dislike it. This book slowly grew on me, and by the time I had finished I was thinking about it for days afterward. Like all Sager stories, it kind of lingers in your psyche well after you've put it down.

I think my initial dislike was because of the main character, who was written to be unlikable. However, as time goes on, I became hopeful for her, which was how I knew I was sucked in. This book is bleak, depressing, and downright haunting, but it was impactful.

Rating: 4/5 | Worth reading if you can handle the soul-sucking misery.

I wanted to love this story. I expected great things. But... I was so freaking bored. It was such a slog to get through. It actually took me over a year to complete because I had to keep coming back to it. I was determined to finish it, and I did but there were so many better books I could have been reading instead. And I don't mean good as in this was bad. It just wasn't my type of epic.

Rating: 1/5 | I know there are many who love this classic, but don't count me as one of them.

This is more my speed of romance. If I'm going to be suckered in to this genre, I want all my supernatural and fantasy elements along with it. Hart and Mercy were adorable, and I adored the world building. The love story is often taken for granted by many romance authors. They stick to the characters destined for smoochies and don't give much thought to the plot and world. This wasn't the case with Bannen. I was smitten, and I've already planned to get her next book set in the same universe.

Rating: 5/5 | Everyone should know about this!

I really should have updated this list long before now. While I remember this book, it has begun to fade. It wasn't really anything special. A basic romance -- not even any supernatural elements (shocker I know). The writing wasn't bad as far as these novels tend to go. A bit predictable and following the standard tropes, but if you've got some time to kill and are not in the mood for a heavy read, this is a good time.

Rating: 3/5 | Didn't hate it.

Poor Things

by Alasdair Gray

I'm sad to say I had never heard of this book until the movie. When I found out Yorgos Lanthimos was making a new film, and it seemed like a modern Frankenstein I got obsessed. I still haven't seen the movie, but I devoured this book. I absolutely loved it from start to finish.

It plays with 19th century tropes, as one of the narrators will confirm at some point. I love that it also delves into viewpoints by having multiple "authors" tell bits of the story. This look at multiple points of view and reliable narration gives the tale more intrigue. It was also fascinating to look at a woman with basically a fresh mental slate grown and learn with none of the baggage that we all manage to drag with us from childhood. She wasn't beholden to the rules put on women of her time, but she also had the funds to lead a whimsical "early" life, which unfortunately isn't the case for many of us even if we did have a new start.

Rating: 5/5 | I'll tell everyone!

Fevre Dream

by George R.R. Martin

If you look around the internet, this is supposed to be one of the quintessential vampire books. I was on board with this description up until about the halfway mark then the story took a dramatic nosedive. Not only did the story not progress to anything worthwhile or actually scary, but it was also so freaking boring. I was wildly disappointed considering I've loved the Game of Thrones books I've read so far. If it wasn't my first book of the year, I probably wouldn't have bothered finishing, but I felt like I couldn't give up due to the precedent it might set going forward.

Rating: 2/5 | Meh, I'd tell someone I didn't like.