Thriller Thursday Reviews: The Children on the Hill & My Perfect Daughter
Happy Thriller Thursday! It’s me Sharon, here to share a couple of great reads to usher in spooky season. This week I am happy to share my thoughts on The Children on the Hill by Jennifer McMahon and My Perfect Daughter by Sarah A. Denzil. I have had both of these books on my shelf for months but kept putting them off. Why? I have no idea. LOL I am glad I finally decided to read them though because they were both awesome.
The Children on the Hill Goodreads Author: Jennifer McMahon
Publication Date: April 26, 2022
Publisher: Gallery/Scout Press
I am kicking myself for leaving Jennifer McMahon’s newest book The Children on the Hill on my to read list for so long. This book was so good that I devoured it in a couple of days.
The story is told in alternating timelines. The first timeline is in 1978 and is told from the POV of thirteen-year-old Vi. Vi and her brother Eric live with their grandmother, a brilliant psychiatrist who works at the Hillside Inn, a private psychiatric hospital in a small town in Vermont. One day Gran brings home thirteen-year-old Iris to stay with them. Iris is skittish, doesn’t talk and is feral, and Gran has given Vi the job of taking care of Iris. Vi and Eric take an instant liking to Iris and with their help she is soon talking, and they let her into the Monster Club. Vi and Eric are monster hunters, because as Vi says “Monsters are everywhere.” They wrote a book that they call “The Book of Monsters” and list all the monsters they know and how to kill them. Vi has also made it her mission to find out where Iris came from, but she is not going to like the information she finds. Her whole world and the hospital are about to come crashing down.
The second timeline is in 2019 and this timeline is told from the POV of Lizzy Shelly. Lizzy is a monster hunter and has a podcast called Monsters Among Us. Lizzy travels all over the country investigating monster sightings. When she learns that a young girl has gone missing in a small town in Vermont after she came in contact with the town’s monster “Rattling Jane,” Lizzy heads to Vermont because she knows who this monster is and she is determined to stop her.
I enjoyed both timelines equally, which is a rarity for me since I normally have one that is my favorite. I loved getting to know Vi, Eric and Iris and just enjoyed watching them as they hunted monsters and also as they investigated who Iris was and where she came from. I also loved how the nostalgia from 1978 brought back memories of my childhood. I was also equally invested in Lizzy’s timeline and her determination to stop “Rattling Jane”. Lizzy had a bit of mystery about her as well, and I kept going back and forth on who I thought she was.
Aside from the two timelines, at the end of each chapter we also get excerpts from “The Book of Monsters” and “The Helping Hand of God: The True Story of the Hillside Inn” which is a book that was written in 1980 about all that happened at the Hillside Inn. Having the book unfold with the two timelines and the excerpts just added to the mystery and suspense.
I loved everything about this book. It was not super scary but had that creepy atmosphere that kept me on the edge of my seat the whole time I was reading. There were twists at the end of the book that literally had me saying “Holy Crap!” If you are looking for a good read for spooky season, I highly recommend The Children on the Hill. I don’t think you will be disappointed. 4 ½ stars
My Perfect Daughter Goodreads Author: Sarah A. Denzil
Publication Date: January 14, 2022
Publisher: Sarah Dalton
I have read a few books by Sarah A. Denzil and while I liked them, they didn’t have that WOW! factor, so I kept putting off reading her new book My Perfect Daughter. Well, let me tell you, Sarah A. Denzil outdid herself on this book, and I am sorry that I did not read it sooner.
Zoe was out for a jog one day when she noticed five year-old Maddie alone on the side of a country road. Afraid for the child’s safety, Zoe brings Maddie back to her father unaware that she is about to step into her worst nightmare. Maddie was not on that road by chance, she was actually waiting for Zoe to come by so that she could lure her to her serial killer father. During her captivity Zoe bonded with Maddie and with Maddie’s help they were both able to escape. Zoe ended up adopting Maddie. Now eleven years later, Zoe is married and has another child. They are one big happy family. Or are they? Maddie still has issues from living with her serial killer father and seeing all he had done. She has been diagnosed with callous unemotional traits. Zoe has worked hard to ensure that Maddie knows she is loved and supported. Zoe has never really been afraid of Maddie, until a school bully dies and another girl is missing. Though she does not want to think Maddie could be responsible, a part of Zoe cannot help but wonder, is Maddie more like her father than she wants to admit?
This book is told in alternating timelines. The first timeline centers around when Zoe was being held captive and when she and Maddie escaped. This timeline does contain torture and abuse, though Denzil does not get very vivid in the details. When I was reading these parts, they felt like I was watching a horror movie or an episode of Criminal Minds. I loved Maddie in this timeline, she was this small child that even though she helped lure Zoe in, she wanted to help save her as well. They formed a special bond and I was so glad that Zoe didn’t just dump her once she was free.
The second timeline is present day, Maddie is now sixteen years old and I really felt for her in this timeline. She went through a lot when she was a child and it left emotional scars that will never go away. Due to these emotional scars she was a very unreliable character and I loved that. During this timeline we also have the mystery of what happened to the bully and the missing girl and who was responsible. Aside from Maddie being an unreliable character, there were also other characters in this timeline that were untrustworthy as well. I was all over the place on who I thought was telling the truth and who was lying.
My Perfect Daughter was a dark read, full of twists and turns that kept me guessing until the very end. Sarah A. Denzil does a great job of increasing the tension and suspense throughout the book. 4 stars
Top Ten Tuesday – 5 Indie Book Stores I Love & 5 I Really Want to Visit
Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together. Top Ten Tuesday has been one of my favorite memes ever since I started blogging, so huge thanks to Jana for taking over the hosting duties!
This week’s TTT topic is Favorite Bookstores OR Bookstores I’d Love to Visit. I decided to focus my list on Indie bookstores but couldn’t think of 10 I loved or 10 I wanted to visit, so I’ve split my list in half to share 5 of each.
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5 Bookstores I Love
1. The Strand, NYC
The Strand will always make my list of favorite Indie bookstores. I try to stop by every time I visit NYC.
Why? 18 miles of books, some of the coolest bookish merchandise, and loads of amazing author events.
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2. Fountain Bookstore, Richmond, VA
Credit: https://www.instagram.com/fountainbookstore/
If you ever find yourself in the Richmond, VA area, I highly recommend stopping by Fountain Bookstore in the quaint and quirky Carytown area. They have a great selection of books and merchandise, signed books, tons of staff recommendations which are always reliably good reads, and they also have a full schedule of author events.
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3. Riverby Books, Fredericksburg, VA
This is a fantastic Indie bookstore right in my own town. The shop has an extensive collection of used books, they buy and sell rare books, and the store is just super cute with lots of little reading nooks tucked into every corner.
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4. Green Valley Book Fair, Mount Crawford, VA
The Green Valley Book Fair is tucked away in Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley. Prior to the Covid pandemic, for a couple of weeks, 5 or 6 times a year, the book fair would open and book lovers would come from all over to purchase deeply discounted books. Their selection has always been vast and the prices great. Where so many businesses failed during the pandemic, the Green Valley Book Fair completely changed the way they operated in order to survive. Since everything was closed, they started a mail order business so that book lovers could still get the discounted books they love and they even expanded their inventory to include items like jigsaw puzzles for those who Covid kept at home. Once things started to open back up, they began to open year round 5 days a week, and continued to offer their mail service as well as curbside pickup. I love this bookfair, both for its great prices and extensive selection, but also because of their resilience and determination.
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5. CHOP SUEY BOOKS, Richmond, VA
Chop Suey Books is another fantastic bookstore in the Carytown area of Richmond. They have a fun, quirky storefront, a cat mascot named Wonton, and they buy and sell used books.
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5 Bookstores I Really Want to Visit
6. THE BOOKWORM BOX Bookstore, Sulphur Springs, TX
This is the bookstore that Colleen Hoover and her sisters own. Enough said, lol. Not enough? Here’s a little more detail: “The Bookworm Box is a one-of-a-kind specialty bookstore with signed books donated by the authors. All profit is donated to various charities with over $1,000,000.00 donated since opening the doors in 2015. The Bookworm Box holds special events and exclusive signings with best-selling authors such as EL James, Tarryn Fisher, Anna Todd, Caroline Kepnes and Colleen Hoover.”
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7. BLUEBIRD & CO., Crozet, VA
Even though this book shop is only about an hour away from me, I had never heard of it until Elle Cosimano happened to mention on her social media a while back that she was doing an event there. I unfortunately couldn’t attend the event, but looking at their instagram page, the store is just as adorable on the inside as it is on the outside so I need to visit it someday soon.
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8. POWELL’S BOOKS, Portland, OR
Credit: https://www.powells.com/
According to their website, Powell’s is the World’s Largest Independent Bookstore. I have no idea if that is still true or not, but it’s enough to make me want to visit it. They apparently have a very extensive inventory of used books and, and they buy and sell books.
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9. McNally Jackson Books, NYC
Even though I visit NYC pretty often, I’ve somehow never made it to this shop and I need to remedy that. It just looks so cozy and quaint and apparently it has a nice cafe in it as well.
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10. NEW DOMINION BOOKSHOP, Charlottesville, VA
This is yet another Indie bookshop that is only about an hour from me but I’ve yet to make it there. New Dominion is the oldest independent bookstore in my state and the picture I chose to represent it features the stunning rose garden they have. Some of the other photos on their Instagram page show bookclubs meeting in the garden as well as some author events. It just looks so lovely and peaceful and I would love to experience it in person.
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Question: Have you visited any of these shops?
Reviews: SPELLS FOR FORGETTING & THE WITCH AND THE TSAR
Hey everyone! Welcome to today’s episode of life has gotten in the way of my blogging again. Between trying to make a huge deadline at work this past Friday as well as being obsessed with where Hurricane Ian would go once it made landfall, blogging was the last thing on my mind so I have a lot of catching up to do this week. Today I’m back to share reviews for two pretty unusual books, considering what a romance kick I’ve been on. The first is a new favorite from an author I’ve been enjoying for a while now, and the second is a wonderful debut that I was drawn to because it’s inspired by Russian folklore and mythology.
Spells for Forgetting Goodreads Author: Adrienne Young
Publication Date: September 27, 2022
Publisher: Random House Publishing Group – Ballantine, Delacorte Press
FTC Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of this book from Netgalley. All opinions are my own.
Spells for Forgetting by Adrienne Young was truly the perfect book to start off my spooky season reads. Set on a remote and mysterious island that is steeped in folklore and magic, the story features a mystery surrounding an unsolved murder as well as a second chance at love for two individuals whose lives were deeply impacted by the murder.
Spells for Forgetting follows Emery Blackwood, a young woman whose life was turned upside down when her best friend Lily was murdered and her boyfriend, August Salt, is accused of killing her. Although August is never formally charged with murder, nearly everyone on the island assumes he is guilty and so he and his mom leave Saoirse Island and attempt to start a new life elsewhere. Emery is left behind to pick up the pieces of her own life. For the past fourteen years, she has done so by working at her family’s business, a tea shop that specializes in herbal tonics and tea leaf readings. Emery senses that something strange is about to happen and her suspicions are confirmed when all of the trees on the island suddenly change color in a single night. A few hours later, Emery learns that August has returned to the island. He has come home to bury his mother, and from the moment she sees him, Emery knows things will never be the same.
There’s so much to love about this story, but Young’s atmospheric writing is really the star of the show. She really brings the island of Saoirse to life to the extent that it feels like an actual character in the book. Surrounded by mist and with tourist life winding down as they head into the colder months, the island has an almost ominous and lonely vibe to it. The hints of magical realism further bring the island to life as it seems to sense the return of August and the trouble his return will bring.
Speaking of August, I really felt for him and for Emery. They were each other’s first love and, according to everyone who knew them, their relationship was a special one. I can’t even imagine how devastating it must have been to have their relationship torn apart like it was. It’s also clear that they both still have intense feelings for one another and that they won’t be able to stay away from each other even though everyone else on the island wants August gone immediately. I also felt sympathetic toward Emery once she decides it’s time to dig deeper and find out what really happened to Lily. She wants to clear August’s name once and for all but what if he’s not as innocent as she thinks he is?
I can’t say much about what Emery finds, but oh boy, does she really shake things up. It quickly becomes apparent that the island of Saoirse is full of secrets, lies, and betrayals. Pretty much everyone who lives there seems to be hiding something. I was on the edge of my seat watching Emery slowly unravel all of the secrets and lies until the truth of what happened to Lily is finally revealed. I also loved that there were enough twists and turns that I didn’t guess the big reveal either.
If you’re in the mood for an atmospheric story about first loves and unsolved murders, be sure to pick up a copy of Spells for Forgetting. You won’t regret it! 4.5 STARS
The Witch and the Tsar Goodreads
Author: Olesya Salnikova Gilmore
Publication Date: September 20, 2022
Publisher: Berkley Publishing Group, Ace
FTC Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of this book from Netgalley. All opinions are my own.
The Witch and the Tsar is Olesya Salnikova Gilmore’s debut novel and it is a wonderful read! Part historical fiction, part mythological retelling, the story takes us to medieval Russia where Ivan the Terrible rules and the country is on the brink of destruction. Ivan is of course the Tsar in the novel’s title, and the witch is none other than the legendary Baba Yaga.
The story centers around Yaga, who is half mortal, half goddess, and has been living alone in the forest for years, with only her animals and those who seek her out for her magical healing powers as companions. One such person who seeks her out is Anastasia, her long-time friend and the wife of the Tsar. Anastasia has fallen ill and worries that someone in Moscow is trying to hurt her. She begs Yaga to come out of exile and come to Moscow as her companion and protector. Yaga can’t refuse her friend but has no idea that she’s about to find herself caught in a struggle to save the people of Russia from Ivan the Terrible, who is apparently being influenced (and driven mad) by the dark influences, specifically the immortal Lady of Death. The Lady of Death hates Yaga because Yaga’s healing work is at such odds with her own need for the souls of the dead, which sets up a showdown of sorts between the two.
I don’t want to give any details of the plot away, but I just loved how the author has woven together actual events from Russian history alongside the mythological elements and Russian folklore to create an engaging and plausible tale as to why Ivan the Terrible goes mad. The plot is intricate and well thought out and I found myself very invested in the author’s version of the legendary Baba Yaga and the journey she finds herself on as the underdog in this story, not fitting in with the human world but not fitting in with the Gods either. As she fights to save the people of Russia, she learns so much about her own history, her magic, and her place in the world.
With The Witch and the Tsar, Gilmore has an impressive debut on her hands and I look forward to reading more from her. I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys stories inspired by Russian folklore and mythology and to anyone who enjoys witchy reads. If you like witches, you’ll love Baba Yaga. 4 STARS