Final Girls by Riley Sager (Adult Horror Thriller Review)

 

Final Girls
by Riley Sager
Published by Dutton Books
on July 11, 2017
Genre: Adult, Horror, Thriller
Length: 342 pages

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Literary Awards:
Litsy Award for Horror (2017)
Goodreads Choice Award for Horror (2017)
ITW Thriller Award for Best Novel (2018)

Synopsis:
Ten years ago, college student Quincy Carpenter went on vacation with five friends and came back alone, the only survivor of a horror-movie scale massacre. In an instant, she became a member of a club no one wants to belong to--a group of similar survivors known in the press as the Final Girls. There was Lisa, and Sam, and now Quincy. The three girls are all attempting to put their nightmares behind them...
That is, until Lisa, the first Final Girl, is found dead in her bathtub, and Sam, the second, appears on Quincy's doorstep. 


My Thoughts:

Quincy Carpenter finally has her life together years after the Pine Cottage Massacre that she was the sole survivor of. She spends her days sharing her cute baked goods on social media and almost never thinks of herself as a Final Girl, that is until her good friend, Coop--the cop that saved her from Him ten years before--makes the long journey to inform her of another Final Girl--Lisa--'s suicide. Shortly after, the elusive second Final Girl, Sam, shows up on Quincy's doorstep and though she kind of always dreamed of being friends with the others, she quickly finds that being a Final Girl has it's ultimate ups and downs. 

This debut novel from Riley Sager has a great mix of horror and mystery thriller with a twist ending that will blow you away.  Our MC survived the group stabbing of her college friends at Pine Cottage and is now known as a Final Girl. She's fine with it. Nbd. But when Sam, another Final Girl who has avoided the press for years, shows up on her doorstep, they become quick friends. But Sam wants Quincy to remember that night at Pine Cottage, and she just might do anything to get her to.

  This is my third Sager novel and I'm a little disappointed that I didn't jump on this author's books from the start because they are all so good! I surprisingly went into this without having anything spoiled for me after years of seeing it on Bookstagram and while the beginning was a little slow to get into, I finally get why there was so much hype surrounding this when it released. He's quickly becoming a favorite and I plan on reading his other two novels in the next few months!  

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The Girl With the Louding Voice by Abi Dare (Adult Literary Fiction Review)

 

The Girl With the Louding Voice
by Abi Dare
Published by Dutton Books
on February 4, 2020
Genre: Adult, Literary Fiction, Bildungsroman
Length: 371 pages

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Quick synopsis:
The unforgettable, inspiring story of a teenage girl growing up in a rural Nigerian village who longs to get an education so that she can find her "louding voice" and speak up for herself. The Girl with the Louding Voice is a simultaneously heartbreaking and triumphant tale about the power of fighting for your dreams. 


My Thoughts:

Adunni is a fourteen-year-old girl who lives with her father and brothers in a small village in Nigeria. She wants nothing more than to become a teacher but her father sells her for rent money to be married to an old man named Morufu. Her new husband already has two wives at home, one of which is pregnant, as well as many daughters, one of which is Adunni's age, but Morufu is determined to have two male heirs. When something happens to the pregnant wife, Adunni knows she will be blamed and killed so she runs and ends up in the employ of Big Madam, a wealthy fabric merchant who gives Adunni a job. Life isn't much easier for Adunni but she is determined to get an education and become a girl with a 'louding voice'. 

This was a tough but hopeful read. Adunni is a young girl with a dream and determination but her coming-of-age story is a rough one. Adunni has many difficult twists and turns ahead of her, most of which are rather unpleasant, but she finds a way to work toward her dream nevertheless. 

This very much reminded me of The Color Purple by Alice Walker, which was a rather life-changing story for me. In The Color Purple, Celie is married young and struggles to find her voice, though she eventually does. Adunni suffers the same fate but is determined to find her voice and teach it to be loud. Both have a happy and hopeful ending. 

I was surprised to see the stark differences in the small villages that Adunni grew up around and Lagos where she is sold as a housemaid to Big Madam. In Adunni's small town an old tv may be used as a decoration though there's no cable to be had, while in Lagos everyone has smart phones and modern internet capabilities. I enjoyed the added facts about Nigeria, which helped to give a bigger picture of the country and the financial disparity between it's citizens. This was definitely an eye-opening and worthwhile read!  

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Home Before Dark by Riley Sager (Adult Horror Thriller Book Review)

Home Before Dark

by Riley Sager 

Published by Dutton Books

on June 30th, 2020

Genre: Adult, Fiction, Horror, Thriller

Length: 384 pages

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Synopsis:
In the latest thriller from New York Times bestseller Riley Sager, a woman returns to the house made famous by her father's bestselling horror memoir. Is the place really haunted by evil forces, as her father claimed? Or are there more earthbound--and dangerous--secrets hidden within its walls?

My Thoughts:

I think this might be my favorite read so far this year! 
Ghost stories and haunted houses have always been my jam but I've also really been enjoying murder mystery thrillers lately and this is both! 

Maggie Holt doesn't remember what happened at Baneberry Hall before her family fled the house when she was five years old, never to return again, but she's pretty sure the bestselling 'true ghost story' her father wrote about their 'experience' is complete bull. When her father dies and leaves her the house, Maggie decides to go back, not only to fix it up to sell but also to prove the book wrong. She soon finds that the book just may be rooted in fact and there may be ghosts after all. 

This suspenseful mash-up of murder mystery and paranormal haunting has alternating chapters between Maggie Holt as an adult returning to the famous haunted house and the book her father wrote, 'House of Horrors'.  I loved that we get to read the ghost story along with the MC's present-day return to the house that inspired the book her father wrote. Together, they wove a suspenseful and spooky murder mystery with tons of twists and turns that had me reading late into the night. 

I definitely recommend this if you're looking for a great read for Spooky Season! 

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The Conference of the Birds (Miss Peregrine's #5) by Ransom Riggs (YA Fantasy Book Review)

The Conference of the Birds
(Miss Peregrine's Peculiar Children series #5)

by Ransom Riggs
Published by Dutton Books for Young Readers
on January 14, 2020
Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy
Length: 400 pages
Ages: 12 - 17 years

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Synopsis:
"Do you trust me?"

An instant bestseller, A Map of Days launched readers into the previously unexplored world of American peculiars, one bursting with new questions, new allies, and new adversaries.

Now, with enemies behind him and the unknown ahead, Jacob Portman's story continues as he takes a brave leap forward into The Conference of the Birds, the next installment of the beloved, bestselling Miss Peregrine's Peculiar Children series.

My Thoughts:

I really enjoyed the Miss Peregrine's Peculiar Children trilogy for its mixture of historical fiction, fantasy, and horror and for its unique addition of peculiar photographs. I loved the story and the peculiar characters and was so excited when I heard about a second trilogy in the works. I loved the new direction that A Map of Days took Jacob in, taking us the Americas where Jacob saves a highly sought-after peculiar named Noor. His actions change the direction of the original trilogy to something new altogether and I'm eager to see how it's going to finish up!

I remember starting A Map of Days and thinking that it was like coming back to an old friend; or a group of friends, really. I hadn't realized how much I had missed these peculiar characters.

In The Conference of the Birds, the fate of all peculiars seems to hang in the balance. Jacob must gather his old friends to keep Miss Peregrine and the other embrynes safe. And Noor as well.

I especially like the direction the author has taken with this new trilogy. I feel like he had a total change of heart about the story and Jacob reflects that. His attachments and friendships change and Jacob starts making his own choices, even though they go against what Miss Peregrine and his friends want. I also appreciate that this book points out the problematic eras of American history.

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Lock Every Door by Riley Sager (Mystery Thriller Book Review)

Lock Every Door

by Riley Sager

Published by Dutton Books
on July 2, 2019
Genre: Adult, Mystery, Thriller

Length: 371 pages

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Synopsis:

No visitors. No nights spent away from the apartment. No disturbing the other residents, all of who are rich or famous or both. These are the only rules for Jules Larsen's new job as an apartment sitter at the Bartholomew, one of Manhattan's most high-profile and mysterious buildings. Recently heartbroken and just plain broke, Jules is taken in by the splendor of her surroundings and accepts the terms, ready to leave her past life behind. 

As she gets to know the residents and staff of the Bartholomew, Jules finds herself drawn to fellow apartment sitter Ingrid, who comfortingly, disturbingly reminds her of the sister she lost eight years ago. When Ingrid confides that the Bartholomew is not what it seems and the dark history hidden beneath its gleaming facade is starting to frighten her, Jules brushes it off as a harmless ghost story... until the next day, when Ingrid disappears.

Searching for the truth about Ingrid's disappearance, Jules digs deeper into the Bartholomew's dark past and into the secrets kept within its walls. Her discovery that Ingrid is not the first apartment sitter to go missing at the Bartholomew pits Jules against the clock as she races to unmask a killer, expose the building's hidden past, and escape the Bartholomew before her temporary status becomes permanent.  

My Thoughts:

When Jules answers an ad to apartment-sit at the infamous Bartholomew, one of Manhattan's most elite buildings, she is sure it is too good to be true and there's no way she will get the job. She's newly heartbroken, living on a friend's couch, with no family to speak of. she is immediately accepted and moves in despite the extensive rules set in place for her as well as the rumors about the buildings dark past.

She is quickly enamored by the apartment; the very one on the cover of her favorite book whose author lives in the very same building, and soon makes friends with fellow apartment-sitter, Ingrid, who reminds her of the older sister that went missing when Jules was just a teenager. When Ingrid shares her concerns and then disappears altogether, Jules starts to see the danger she may be in and is determined to find Ingrid and set things right. 

This is my first novel by Riley Sager so I can't compare to his previous novels but I did enjoy this. I'd been seeing this book all over Instagram and the blogs I follow and I love stories that take place in spooky houses or buildings so I thought I'd give it a try. I wasn't enthralled until about halfway through when everything picked up and become thrilling but when I did, I couldn't put it down. I was hooked on the second half and loved the ending.

I really liked that the author touched on real-world issues like poverty and how hard it is to get a foot up when you're down on your luck, on your own, or are starting out with absolutely nothing as well as the disparity between classes and how easy it is to fall into that money pit.  

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