supernatural

#backlistboost Friday

Posted on by The Novel Girl

Hi all!!

I’m back from vacation for #backlistboost Friday!!

This week I’d like to talk to you all about a wonderful book that I first read and posted about back in 2015: The Glittering World by Robert Levy. This is a supernatural/fantasy thriller told in multiple POVs, and it is wonderful!

This was my first introduction to Levy’s writing, thanks to an endorsement from another favorite author, and I have been a fan of his since reading it! He has a unique voice that is truly enjoyable to read.

Look at that cover!!

You can read my original review here:

The Glittering World

Little Heaven

Posted on by The Novel Girl

little-heaven-cover

Author: Nick Cutter

Genre: Supernatural Thriller/Suspense

Publisher: Gallery Books

Pages: 496

 

It’s 1966 and Micah, Ebenezer, and Minerva are assassins for hire, the best mercenaries of their time, and they all end up in the same place to kill one another. Needless to say, this does not turn out well. They band together, and are all hired by a woman to do a welfare check on her nephew, who has been taken by her father in to a religious compound known as Little Heaven. This leads to them having to face off with the Biggest Bad that any of them have ever faced before. Cut to 1980 and Micah’s daughter has been taken by one of the bad dude’s minion’s as what he knows is a lure to lead them back to Little Heaven to face off once again.

This book was strange, thrilling, and had nice horror elements all at once. It shifts between the “original” story of 1966 and the “present day” story of 1980, so the reader gets some nice world building for the supernatural elements, and a great backstory. The character development for the main characters was very well done, aside from the “standard” of using rape as one of the female’s main motivations. It is overused, overdone, and I know I am not the only one that is really wishing that authors would, please, come up with another backstory to use for their female characters to motivate them. It is not discussed often throughout this novel, really only in the divulging of her story, but if the mention of it is a trigger- here is your trigger warning. It is also a bit heavy on the racist slurs as part of the dialogue. That could have been cut down a bit. As to the story itself, I really enjoyed it very much! This was my first Cutter book, and his writing style reminded me a bit of King whom I am a huge fan of. It even seemed to borrow some elements from King stories, although not shamelessly or in any sort of a plagiarized manner. If you are a fan of the horror/supernatural suspense genre, I think that you would probably enjoy this novel. I will definitely be reading more Cutter novels in the future.

Thanks to Gallery Books for the copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Jackaby

Posted on by The Novel Girl

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Author: William Rittner

Series: Jackaby

Genre: Supernatural Mystery

Publisher: Algonquin

Pages: 304

 

Abigail Rook has left her home in need of a new start. When she arrives in New Fiddleham, the first thing that she needs is a job. While she is on the search, she stumbles in to the middle of a murder investigation. A serial killer is on the loose. The police believe that it is a run of the mill bad guy…Enter R.F. Jackaby, investigator of the supernatural. He is the only seer, gifted with the ability to see the supernatural. He believes that this is no ordinary murderer. Abigail finds herself following him in to his first investigation of the scene, and it turns out that she also has a gift, one that Jackaby needs- the ability to see the ordinary, important things. She lands a job as his assistant, and off they go to find the serial killer, whether the police want their assistance or not.

I can’t believe that I waited this long to read this book! It was a wonderful break from reality. Rittner has created a fantastic cast of characters, who all have depth and are well rounded. The secondary characters all have great personality. He does something very important, though: he leaves room for you to want to get to know them better. The world building was spot on. The plot line and overall story were very entertaining. This will definitely be a new series for me!