cagles

Don't let the cheesy cover art turn you off

Revisado: 03-10-20 El oyente recibió este título gratis

I admit being turned off by the cover but I was pleasantly surprised by this one. While the murder mystery genre isn't my favorite, I really enjoyed the ride. If you're a A. Christie fan, you probably will too.

Even though the villain is the mythical Krampus, it somehow avoids almost all the supernatural flavor. It is a murder mystery "who dunnit" through and through. There's a full cast of colorful characters. Each one is well fleshed out and relatable.

There is a lesbian romance but it is not a main focus of the book. It's also a very innocent and wholesome background 'ship. But honestly, I found that refreshing. If Disney decided to write a coming of age lesbian story amidst a wave of fatal animal attacks, it would be exactly this.

The narrator is shockingly talented. There are a lot of characters and she somehow makes you totally forget only one person is reading. Seriously. In a dialogue heavy scene, she goes from a natural teen girl voice, to a curmudgeonly old man to a squeaky tween boy flawlessly. I am beyond impressed with her range and style.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book a lot even though it's not a genre I pick often. If you're a mystery fan, I highly recommend it. Don't dismiss it solely because of the whole silly bad Santa aspect. It's not a central point at all.

Fun. Unexpected. Wholesome. Interesting. Family friendly. Highly recommend.

I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

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short, sweet and slightly underwhelming

Revisado: 03-08-20 El oyente recibió este título gratis

If you're into lesbian romance (especially older lesbian) then I easily recommend this book. It was a lot shorter than I like but I appreciate the author not dragging on the drama or adding more unnecessary drama in to make it longer. I'd rather it be short than plumped up with nonsensical drama.

The character's were well thought out and the chemistry was there. The plot was ok. It didn't have very high stakes so the climax didn't really have a big obstacle to overcome. I'd call it more of an issue. But all in all, I enjoyed it and was sad it was over so soon. I would recommend this book and will gladly read more of the authors work in the future.

The narrator wasn't my favorite. The ultra low; trying really hard to sound masculine, voice she gave to the protagonist was really off-putting.


I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

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esto le resultó útil a 1 persona

Superficial but easy read

Revisado: 02-21-20 El oyente recibió este título gratis

No beating around the bush; this book was a begrudgingly second chance for me on this author. After seeing the author's name come up repeatedly for recommendations for the genre, I read a different book of hers before and was not impressed. At the urging of a friend, I gave it another go with this one. Truthfully, my expectations were low, to put it politely.

But I have to admit, it was better than I expected. I can't say I loved it; it had the depth of a cookie sheet but it was entertaining enough. The character development was decent. I actually could see them all as real people and cared about what happened to them. Credit is due there. It held a decent pace throughout. The romance felt a bit unrealistically fast but most do, I guess. The plot though was a rehashed romance troupe that the author admits copying in the end. Le sigh... it was completely predictable from start to cliche finish. The "conflict" can be seen from miles away. At one point I thought to myself "this character is annoying. why are they here? Oh right, to do villain-ey s**t at the climax." and I was right so that was disappointing.

If you're looking for quick, easy to read, lesbian romance and don't care to invest much emotionally, you will probably enjoy this one. It's worth reading if your expectations are conservative going in.

I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

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esto le resultó útil a 2 personas

This is the book you're looking for via reviews

Revisado: 12-11-19 El oyente recibió este título gratis

Wow! what an unexpected gem of a book this turned out to be. I liked it so much, this is the very first time i've ever ran to a computer to leave a review for a book I just finished. It is that good.

This book has it all. Interesting and relatable characters? check. Original plot? check. Good narrator? check. Literal laugh out loud banter? (even though its horror?) check. Lesbians? check. Serial killers? check. Serial killers without r*pe? check. Satisfying ending? check. Seriously, I thoroughly enjoyed this book from chapter 1 til epilogue. It was clever and funny without even trying. The pace was consistent throughout. Just a really well rounded book in my eyes.

I highly recommend this book to anyone into horror or psychological drama.

I have received a free audiobook copy of this book and have voluntarily left this review.

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Enjoying this modern "X Files" esque series

Revisado: 12-10-19

I've really enjoyed this series so far. I read the first and second book in the Silent Legions series. Crime/cop drama isn't really my bag but when I read they investigated supernatural beings and crimes, well, that piqued my curiosity. I am so glad I did.

The main villain in this book was unintentionally hilarious at times and I enjoyed every second of his presence. I really enjoyed all the supernatural characters. Each one was well fleshed-out and dimensional. There was just enough background on each of them to to help readers really understand; even though they aren't exactly human, there's a lot of humanity in them. They are actual supporting characters, that enrich the story. Not just another group of cliched supernatural troupes.

Most of the main human characters though, were a bit... vanilla. It was kind of hard remember who was who but then I realized it didn't really matter. they were all just kind if interchangeable for me. The attention to detail was definitely spent on the supernatural characters and I'm ok with that.

The plot was interesting and original. It didn't feel unnecessarily drawn out or rushed in parts. It kept a good pace throughout and I enjoyed the many twists and turns along the way. If you're a fan of X-files type investigations, but can also appreciate a bit a good humor sprinkled in, I think you would enjoy this series too.

The narrator wasn't my favorite. My main complaint was the villain's voice. The narrator tried really hard to give him the stereotypical "Druhc-ula, who vants to sucka your blahd" accent but it was just...clumsy and unnatural. The other voices were pretty good though.

I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

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Really good story... just not enough of it

Revisado: 11-03-19

I rather enjoyed this story. I just wished I had noticed how short it was before starting it. Maybe if I had, I wouldn't have felt so disappointed at the end.

I remember thinking "wow, this book is holding no punches. From the gate it's balls to the wall". Little did I know, I was already at the climax. But that's on me. That was my mistake.

I think the author has done a great job in this story. It's an interesting plot for sure. I just wished it wasn't so rushed. I'm hoping the plan is to create a fully realized short story (like this one) for each of the children in the book. Then amassed into one full length book. That would be incredible and something I would certainly look forward to.

I was given a free review copy audiobook and have voluntarily left this review.

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I highly recommend this to horror fans

Revisado: 11-03-19 El oyente recibió este título gratis

Wow, what a gem! I especially love these collection type books from different authors because each story will be something completely different than the last. You never know what to expect.

This book did not fail at keeping me on my toes. Sure, some stories are better than others. But I can honestly say I genuinely enjoyed the vast majority of the stories and that's something I can't say about most of the collective horror books I've read.

If you like grown up creepy, original, sometimes funny, many times shocking horror stories, then I highly recommend this book!

I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

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esto le resultó útil a 3 personas

This is one book/character you'll never forget

Revisado: 11-03-19 El oyente recibió este título gratis

To be frank, this book was really hard to get through, for me. More than once, I wanted to quit but I still came back. It took me a few days to fully digest it but I can now say that I'm glad I finished it.

I understood the character fairly well. I understood her trauma. I, unfortunately, understand being a daughter of a narcissistic mother. What I didn't understand was her desperation. How pathetic she was. The way she throws herself at people who don't even like her, time and again, was hard to sit through. I was humiliated for her. But those situations only got worse and even more humiliating. I've never wanted to grab a character by the shoulders and tell at them to "have some %$×£&\#€ self respect" until this book.

The reason this book gave me such visceral reactions was because I knew going in that this was a memoir. The author says about 80% of the book is true. That is what turned this book from an enjoyable and interesting deep dark tale of a sad twisted soul to a horrifying look into a real and disturbingly broken person's psyche.

We've all met a "Peyton" once or twice in real life. That drunk girl at the party who not so coyly stumbles around flirting with any guy in sight. Making everyone cringe by inappropriately touching guys and basically admitting she'll sleep with him before even knowing his name. That friend of a friend who losses her will to live because her latest boyfriend broke up with her. She feels like she's nothing without a boyfriend. You know the type. When you pretend you have somewhere to be all the sudden when you notice you're now the only one left in the room with her because being around her for a few minutes is so uncomfortable.

Well, now imagine locking yourself in a room alone with her and giving her the key. That's what this book feels like.

It won't be fun. It won't be painless. You will be banging and kicking the door for someone to let you out most of the time. But strangely enough, once you get out and get some air and away from her, you'll understand the Peytons' of the world a bit more and be reluctantly grateful for the experience.


I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

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I really wanted to like this one

Revisado: 10-17-19

I really did. But, this book was... problematic. First, the lead characters are Perfect. No, really, they're perfect. Drop dead gorgeous with pefect figures, geniuses, witty, affluent, super feminine, extroverted personalities that everyone falls in love with or so turned on just by being in their presence. That's all well and good but it gets boring fast.

Now, all the other characters? They're all fat, uneducated, fat, low class, and just all around gross. Also, fat. The author makes that abundantly clear.

So yeah, it's hard to miss that the authors choice in describing characters is to mainly stick to appearances but to an unnatural degree. Everyone around them is described as fat or pudgy or how unflattering their clothes fit. It leaves a deep disconnect for me in being told our protagonist is this amazing, warm and kind "Ms. Honey" type person but then she describes and judges everyone as overweight, gross, lewd and unattractive. Ms. Honey would nevah.

There are a handful of "butch" or more masculine lesbians throughout but everyone of them are portrayed as crude, unattractive and aggressively predatory. Also, there is 1 (one!) poc in this book and guess what? That character is portrayed as the worst of all; a butch truck driver type, chauvinistic, lewd, aggressive and of course, fat and unattractive. What does the author have against butch lesbians and people of color?

I couldn't really care about the plot as the constant bizarre appearance critiques kept my head spinning trying to find redeeming qualities about our leads. So much so, it took all my focus.

I would not recommend this book unless you typically identify more with the "mean girls" instead of the regular girl they tend to target in media. I can't help but wonder if this author is always this covertly narcissistic or if it's just this weird and disappointing book. I'll read another (or try) but I don't have very high expectations.

I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

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esto le resultó útil a 6 personas

I really enjoyed this book

Revisado: 10-06-19 El oyente recibió este título gratis

While the conflict was a bit over the top I really liked this book much more than I expected. The characters were interesting and well developed. The relationship development felt organic; not rushed and not drawn unnecessarily for extra drama.

The narrator did a great job as well.

This lesrom was a breath of fresh air and I highly recommend to anyone who enjoys the genre.

I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

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