Suburban Hell by Maureen Kilmer

Title: Suburban Hell

Series: n/a
Author: Maureen Kilmer
Source/Format: NetGalley; eARC
More Details: Horror; Comedy
Publisher/Publication Date: G.P. Putnam's Sons; August 30, 2022

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Synopsis from Goodreads...

Bad Moms meets My Best Friend’s Exorcism in this lite-horror-comedy about a group of women in the Chicago 'burbs, whose cul-de-sac gets a new neighbor: a demon.

Amy Foster considers herself lucky. After she left the city and went full minivan, she found her place quickly with neighbors Liz, Jess, and Melissa, together snarking the “Mom Mafia” from the outskirts of the PTA mom crowd. So, one night during their monthly wine get-together, the newfound crew concoct a plan for a clubhouse She Shed in Liz’s backyard – the perfect space for just them, no spouses or kids allowed. But the night after they christen the space with a ceremonial drink, things start to feel…off. What they didn’t expect was for Liz’s little home improvement project to release a demonic force that turns their quiet suburban enclave into something out of a nightmare. And that’s before the Homeowners’ Association gets wind of it. Just as Liz is turned into a creepy doll face overnight, cases of haunting activity around the neighborhood intensify, and even the calmest moms can’t justify the strange burn marks, self-moving dolls, and horrible smells surrounding their possessed friend, Liz. Together, Amy, Jess, and Melissa must fight back the evil spirit to save Liz and the neighborhood…before the suburbs go completely to hell. But at least they don’t have to deal with the PTA, right?

Suburban Hell wasn’t really on my radar, but, while browsing NetGalley, the title and the book cover caught my eye. Suffice it to say, I was intrigued, and I’m so glad I read it.

Suburban Hell was over the top and dramatic, but it was a horror comedy through and through. There was a certain degree of cheekiness to how the neighborhood was portrayed complete with an idyllic suburb, PTA cliques, and a group of friends who planned to build a backyard clubhouse—dubbed the “She Shed”—as their official monthly meeting place. What could possibly go wrong, right? Well, as Suburban Hell proved, there were a lot of avenues that ordinary setup could go, and it went sideways and dipped right into paranormal territory.

I really loved the gradual build-up of the intensity within the story. It had such an unassuming beginning, so that when things started going wrong, it created a sense of foreboding that carried throughout the rest of the book.

The setting worked well too. It wasn’t isolated per say, but there was a limitation to it, as the events took place in a very small section of a neighborhood (pretty much within a single community). The characters were sorely out of their depths in this situation, and because of it, the friendship between Liz, Amy, Melissa, and Jess was on the verge of a breaking point.

The book was told only from Amy’s perspective, so you never got into the heads of the other characters. Despite that, their personalities showed through, and I liked Amy’s POV. There was a mixture of her dealing with her day-to-day life (with her kids and husband), as well as her trying to unravel what had happened to her friend. Her emotional journey sort of grounded the story in a way, so it wasn’t too over the top with so many comedic aspects.

All that to say: I had a great deal of fun reading Suburban Hell. I appreciated what it did. And with its August release date, it’s right on time to make it onto any October reading lists.

  

About the author....

Maureen Kilmer graduated from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio and lives in the Chicago suburbs with her husband and three children. She does not have a She Shed, and thankfully has not had to battle the forces of darkness (unless going to Costco on a Saturday counts). SUBURBAN HELL is her horror comedy debut. Under Maureen Leurck, she wrote CICADA SUMMER and MONARCH MANOR, both set in the Lake Geneva, Wisconsin area.

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Disclaimer: this copy of the book was provided by the publisher (G.P. Putnam's Sons) via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review, thank you! 

A Treacherous Tale by Elizabeth Penney

Title: A Treacherous Tale

Series: The Cambridge Bookshop series #2
Author: Elizabeth Penney
Source/Format: NetgGalley; eARC
More Details: Cozy Mystery 
Publisher/Publication Date: St. Martin's Paperbacks; August 23, 2022

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Synopsis from Goodreads...

A Treacherous Tale is the second in a charming new cozy series from Elizabeth Penney, set in an English bookshop and following Molly Kimball, who has a habit of bookmarking trouble...

“A cozy mystery that will delight your booklover’s heart and satisfy your hunger for intrigue—and crumpets!” —Paige Shelton, New York Times bestselling author of the Scottish Bookshop series on Chapter and Curse

Lately, Molly has been feeling that she might have fallen into a fairy tale: she's reinvigorated the family bookshop Thomas Marlowe—Manuscripts and Folios, made friends in her new home of Cambridge, England, and is even developing a bit of a romance with the handsome Kieran—a bike shop owner with a somewhat intimidating family pedigree. Having recently discovered The Strawberry Girls, a classic children's tale, Molly is thrilled to learn the author, Iona York, lives nearby. But while visiting the famous author at her lovely cottage in nearby Hazelhurst, an old acquaintance of Iona's tumbles off her roof to his death. Then, when one of Iona’s daughters—an inspiration for the original Strawberry Girls—goes missing, Molly begins to worry this story might be more Brothers Grimm than happily-ever-after. Especially after Molly learns about the mysterious long-ago death of Iona’s husband and co-author of The Strawberry Girls…could past and present crimes be linked? Molly must put the clues together before someone turns this sweet tale sour.

Chapter and Curse was one of my favorite cozy mysteries of 2021, and I was eager to dive into its sequel, A Treacherous Tale. After an incident (and disappearance) on the property of the author they had scheduled for a reading leads to more questions than answers, Molly, her family, friends, and two cats are back and on the tail of another case. My hopes were high, and A Treacherous Tale more than lived up to the strong impression made by its predecessor.

I enjoy books about books and—with the bookshop location—literature is at the heart of this series. One particular aspect that I liked about A Treacherous Tale, were the excerpts of a fictional book called Strawberry Girls. That story was interesting enough on its own, and I mentioned to my co-blogger that I would have read it by itself. That being said, I have to give Elizabeth Penney her props for how Strawberry Girls was used in the story, particularly how it related to the sleuthing that took place. There were so many secrets to uncover that it felt like there were twists around every corner.

The mystery was tightly woven and highly engaging, and from its introduction, I was hooked. The stakes were high, with one person dead and another missing—a number of suspects and no initial motivation beside potential opportunity—ensured that there was never a dull moment.

Besides the mystery and fun literary themes, the characters were a highlight. Strong characterizations abound for the familiar cast, but I also liked the new faces added for this story, particularly Iona. Molly’s personality shined through (she remains my favorite character from the series), and I liked the steady progression of her friendships and romantic life. It was great to see her settled into her life at the bookshop.

Overall, A Treacherous Tale was a fantastic sequel.

 

About the author....

Elizabeth Penney lives in the White Mountains of New Hampshire, where she pens novels and tries to grow things. Elements that often appear in her novels include vintage summer cottages, past/present mysteries, and the arts. After spending early years in England and France, she grew up in Maine, settings that are reflected in her books. Elizabeth is the author of the Apron Shop Series and Cambridge Bookshop Series from St. Martin's as well as over twenty novels, short stories, and hundreds of business articles. A former consultant and nonprofit executive, she holds a BS and an MBA. She's also written screenplays with her musician husband. She loves walking in the woods, kayaking on quiet ponds, trying new recipes, and feeding family and friends.

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Disclaimer: this copy of the book was provided by the publisher (St. Martin's Paperbacks) via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review, thank you! 

Music Monday (213): Remi Wolf, L'Trimm

Rules:

• Music Monday is a weekly meme hosted by Lauren Stoolfire at Always Me that asks you to share one or two songs that you've recently enjoyed. For the rules, visit the page HERE 

Breana: I've been listening to a new (to me and my playlist) artist, Remi Wolf. So far, I really love the vibe of her debut album, Juno. One of my favorite songs is Volkiano.

Andrea: One of my favorite songs back in the day was Cars With The Boom by L'Trimm.

What are you listening to this week?

The Dragon's Promise by Elizabeth Lim

Title: The Dragon's Promise

Series: Six Crimson Cranes #2
Author: Elizabeth Lim
Source/Format: NetGalley; eARC
More Details: Young Adult Fantasy
Publisher/Publication Date: Knopf Books for Young Readers; August 30, 2022

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Synopsis from Goodreads...

From the New York Times Bestselling author of Six Crimson Cranes comes a thrilling new adventure! A journey to the kingdom of dragons, a star-crossed love, and a cursed pearl with the power to mend the world or break it... Fans of Shadow and Bone will devour this soaring fantasy. 

Princess Shiori made a deathbed promise to return the dragon's pearl to its rightful owner, but keeping that promise is more dangerous than she ever imagined. She must journey to the kingdom of dragons, navigate political intrigue among humans and dragons alike, fend off thieves who covet the pearl for themselves and will go to any lengths to get it, all while cultivating the appearance of a perfect princess to dissuade those who would see her burned at the stake for the magic that runs in her blood. The pearl itself is no ordinary cargo; it thrums with malevolent power, jumping to Shiori's aid one minute, and betraying her the next—threatening to shatter her family and sever the thread of fate that binds her to her true love, Takkan. It will take every ounce of strength Shiori can muster to defend the life and the love she's fought so hard to win.

One of my most anticipated sequels of 2022 was Elizabeth Lim’s follow-up to Six Crimson Cranes, which was one of my favorite reads from last year. I appreciated everything that story did to reimagine the original tale, The Six Swans—with dragons, a wisecracking paper crane, actual cranes, and more—it was one of the best kinds of retellings out there, but it was also just a good story in its own right. And after the way it ended, I was more than looking forward to The Dragon’s Promise.

The Dragon’s Promise picked up where Six Crimson Cranes ended with Shiori undertaking a quest, to keep the promise she made to her late stepmother. I admired her determination to see it through to its end, despite the dangers it posed to her as well as everyone she loved and cared about.

I liked the story. Some parts lagged for me, or were a little repetitive in what happened. That being said, the main conflict of the story was really good. There were slight political and superstitious angles to it (partially fueled by fear) and, given the world building done prior in book one, it was understandable. It was far more pronounced here, and it added even more stakes to the story.

There weren’t too many new characters here, and they didn’t stick around long once their part of the story was over. While they were present, I liked them, even the ones that were on the more antagonistic side of things.

Shiori’s brothers were great as usual, and I liked them for the fun sibling dynamic they had going on, as well as how dependable and supportive they were.

Shiori’s tale has always been a highlight of these books for me. During the events of Six Crimson Cranes, I sympathized with her a lot of the time. She was still herself here but more confident, especially when it came to her love life (it was cute), and I appreciated the loyalty and devotion between Shiori and Takkan. It was also great to see her more assured in her duty as a princess. She had her mistakes, of course, but she also had her moments.

All-in-all, I liked The Dragon’s Promise. It tied up all the loose ends in a way that made sense and offered a satisfying payoff for everything that happened. And as a whole, I enjoyed the duology.

 

About the author....

Elizabeth Lim grew up on a hearty staple of fairy tales, myths, and songs. Her passion for storytelling began around age 10, when she started writing fanfics for Sailor Moon, Sweet Valley, and Star Wars, and posted them online to discover, "Wow, people actually read my stuff. And that's kinda cool!" But after one of her teachers told her she had "too much voice" in her essays, Elizabeth took a break from creative writing to focus on not flunking English. Over the years, Elizabeth became a film and video game composer, and even went so far as to get a doctorate in music composition. But she always missed writing, and turned to penning stories when she needed a breather from grad school. One day, she decided to write and finish a novel -- for kicks, at first, then things became serious -- and she hasn't looked back since. Elizabeth loves classic film scores, books with a good romance, food (she currently has a soft spot for arepas and Ethiopian food), the color turquoise, overcast skies, English muffins, cycling, and baking. She lives in New York City with her husband.

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Disclaimer: this copy of the book was provided by the publisher (Knopf Books for Young Readers) via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review, thank you! 

Music Monday (212): Lady Gaga, Les Friction, Olivia Newton-John, Chloe Latanzi, Avery Dixon

 Rules:

• Music Monday is a weekly meme hosted by Lauren Stoolfire at Always Me that asks you to share one or two songs that you've recently enjoyed. For the rules, visit the page HERE 

Breana: Over the weekend, I finally checked out Lady Gaga's sixth album, Chromatica. I like it, and one of my favorite songs is Plastic Doll.

 

Adri: This week I've had Les Friction's No Remorse No Regret on repeat.

Andrea:  Hi all! I hope everyone is doing well. This week I am listening to Window In The Wall by Olivia Newton-John & Chloe Latanzi and Versace On The Floor (Saxaphone Cover) by Avery Dixon.

Have an amazing week!

What are you listening to this week?