Book Review: Fear the Drowning Deep by Sarah Glenn Marsh

I received a free eARC of this book from Sky Pony Press in exchange for an honest review. 

Title: Fear the Drowning Deep

Author: Sarah Glenn Marsh

Publisher: Sky Pony Press

Publication Date: October 4, 2016

Genre: Young Adult, Historical Fiction, Paranormal

Length: 310 pages

Format: ebook

Source: publisher

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Synopsis:

Witch's apprentice Bridey Corkill has hated the ocean ever since she watched her granddad dive in and drown with a smile on his face. So when a dead girl rolls in with the tide in the summer of 1913, sixteen-year-old Bridey suspects that whatever compelled her granddad to leap into the sea has made its return to the Isle of Man. 

Soon, villagers are vanishing in the night, but no one shares Bridey's suspicions about the sea. No one but the island's witch, who isn't as frightening as she first appears, and the handsome dark-haired lad Bridey rescues from a grim and watery fate. The cause of the deep gashes in Fynn's stomach and his lost memories are, like the recent disappearances, a mystery well-guarded by the sea. In exchange for saving his life, Fynn teaches Bridey to master her fear of the water -- stealing her heart in the process. 

Now, Bridey must work with the Isle's eccentric witch and the boy she isn't sure she can trust -- because if she can't uncover the truth about the ancient evil in the water, everyone she loves will walk into the sea, never to return. 

My Thoughts: 

Bridey hasn't gone near the ocean since she saw her grandfather walk into the sea and drown. Living on the Isle of Man makes the sea very difficult to avoid but Bridey manages, especially after a drowned girl is found and others start to go missing. But when it's time for her to find a job and help out her family, she ends up working for the local witch who sends her down to the shore where she comes across an unconscious young man. Girls from town keep disappearing, Bridey keeps seeing strange things in the sea, and her mother keeps painting sea creatures that may or may not be real. Bridey is determined to figure out what is happening and how to stop it, but the whole town may be working against her. 

I was really expecting this to be a very dark, atmospheric read, and it is in some sense but at the same time perhaps it wasn't dark enough for my tastes. That in no way means that I disliked it. I really enjoyed the characters, setting, and plot.  

Set in the early 1900's on the Isle of Man in a small town called Port Coire, this story has a very close-knit but isolated community feel to it. When a dead body washes ashore, there are no policeman or investigators to take charge of the situation and so Bridey, her family, and the rest of the town are left to figure out what is going on all on their own. 
There's a small town mentality that is prevalent in this story and is especially shown in the labeling of the town recluse as a witch. Bridey goes to work for her and is then subjected to the harassment of those that think she is now a witch as well. This quickly builds up to where no one believes her when she says she has seen strange creatures in the sea. 

The characters, other than the not-so-friendly townspeople, mainly revolve around Bridey's family, friends, and the boy she finds on the shore and names Fynn. There is a bit of light romance but mostly Bridey's attention stays with the love and safety of her family which was a little new for me as I seem to read a lot about broken families. It was a nice change.

The atmosphere of the book does grow darker as it progresses and while I thought the ending was a little muddled, it was still entertaining and left it open to your own interpretation of what the future might hold for Bridey. 

This is probably the perfect read for anyone who wants something a little dark and atmospheric for this spooky season but might not want to delve into the traditional horror since this is more of a mystery revolving around mythological creatures. 

My Rating: 3.75 - 4 stars

Book Review: The Dream (The Rahtrum Chronicles) by R.K. McLay

I received a free ecopy of this book from Netgalley and Fifth House in exchange for an honest review.

Title: The Dream

Author: R.K. McLay

Series: Rahtrum Chronicles #1

Publisher: Fifth House

Publication Date: October 15, 2016
Genre: middle-grade, anthropomorphic

Length: 224 pages

Format: ebook

Source: Netgalley

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Synopsis:

The Chronicles of Rahtrum: The Dream is the first book in a tension-building trilogy by R.K. McLay. A work of literary fiction, this young adult, fantasy, adventure story is unlike any before it. The Dream transports readers into the far north of the Yukon Terrioty (where the epic journey begins) and envelopes them in the vastness of nature. Once there, readers inhabit a harsh and natural world that is faithfully rendered, but also delicately infused with magic. A world that is populated by reimagined mythological creatures that feel every bit as real as the animal protagonists they travel and struggle beside. The Chronicles of Rahtrum tell the story of a peculiar young Caribou that is chosen by Rahtrum, the Binder, to set forth on a heroic journey to awaken the Cargoth (human beings) to their true place in nature and the World. 

The beautiful and dangerous north unfurls as Bou follows an age-old migration route in search of the Breschuvine. Only after finding the Breschuvine does he learn the shocking reason he has been chosen by Rahtrum; and that for himself, his friends, and his enemies, the greatest of all journeys has only just begun. 

My Thoughts: 

Bou is a yearling caribou that is more than the others in his herd. He can see farther, can remember things much longer, and acts differently. He was chosen by Rahtrum to set out to find the Breschuvine. His mother, Taiga travels with him as he is still so young and together they journey across the frozen tundra of the Yukon, helped along the way by a pack of wolves, messenger hares, and the mighty vulture, Windsham. But another is also after the Breschuvine and trails Bou across the North, wreaking havoc along the way. 

Fans of David Clement-Davies and animal lovers in general will enjoy this anthropomorphic tale of a young Caribou chosen to do the impossible. There are fantasy elements (fairies and trolls) thrown in that really add to this story but the animals themselves are all the more worthwhile. 

The author did an amazing job at making these animals come to life. Instead of picturing cartoonish types of animals (perhaps wearing pants), I pictured real animals speaking in their own animal languages and doing things that real animals do. I'm pretty sure I learned a thing or two from reading this. I had just recently watched Frozen Planet and learned a few things about caribou but reading this took my knowledge of this animal much farther. I absolutely love when I can read an enjoyable work of fiction and get some tangible knowledge from it. 

At the same time, the story veers from being entirely factual by giving us relationships between predators and prey. In The Dream, a wolf pack is 'bound' to guide and protect Bou and his mother even though it goes against their nature. Friendships are built between the unlikeliest of animals and that is what made this especially fun to read. 

The villain is truly horrifying though I had a hard time really understanding what kind of creature it actually was. Also, despite the friendships between the wolves and caribou, there is still quite a bit of death involved, as is natural with animals when there are predators and prey. For this reason I would recommend to mature young readers. There are some rather sad scenes in this book. 

My Rating: 4 stars

The Spider and the Fly by Mary Howitt & Tony DiTerlizzi

Title: The Spider and the Fly

Based on the cautionary tale by Mary Howitt

Author & Illustrator: Tony DiTerlizzi

Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers

Publication Date: October 1, 2002

Length: 40 pages
Format: Hardcover

Source: borrowed

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Synopsis: 

" 'Will you walk into my parlor,' said the Spider to the Fly..."

is easily one of the most recognized and quoted first lines in all of English verse. But do you have any idea how the age-old tale of the Spider and the Fly ends? Join celebrated artist Tony DiTerlizzi as he--drawing inspiration from one of his loves, the classic Hollywood horror movies of the 1920s and 1930s--shines a cinematic spotlight on Mary Howitt's warning, written to her own childre about those who use sweet words to hide their not-so-sweet intentions. 

My Thoughts: 

This is the classic poem by Mary Howitz retold through brilliantly dark illustrations. This 'story' is a sort of parable about not talking to strangers or that words can be deceiving. It doesn't have the happiest of endings but I think that serves to ingrain the message into the reader's mind. 

I've had my eye on this book at the library for some time now. I'm a sucker for a good spooky story and I knew I wanted to read this but decided to wait until it was closer to Halloween. 

I only recently discovered Tony DiTerlizzi when I read The Spiderwick Chronicles a few months ago and have since found that DiTelizzi is a very talented artist. The black and white illustrations in The Spider and the Fly are fantastically gloomy. He did an amazing job of bringing this poem to life with illustrations that are dark and macabre without being overly spooky. I loved that the spider looked a bit like Vincent Price. 

Book Review: A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab

Title: A Darker Shade of Magic

Author: V.E. Schwab

Series: Shades of Magic #1

Publisher: Titan Books

Publication Date: February 27, 2015

Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy
Length: 384 pages

Format: paperback

Source: gifted

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Synopsis:

Kell is one of the last Antari, a rare magician who can travel between parallel worlds: hopping from Grey London--dirty, boring, lacking magic, and ruled by mad King George-- to Red London--where life and magic are revered, and the Maresh Dynasty presides over a flourishing empire-- to White London--ruled by whoever has murdered their way to the throne, where people fight to control magic, and the magic fights back-- and back, but never Black London, because traveling to Black London is forbidden and no one speaks of it now. 

Officially, Kell is the personal ambassador and adopted Prince of Red London, carrying the monthly correspondences between the royals of each London. Unofficially, Kell smuggles for those willing to pay for even a glimpse of a world they'll never see, and it is this dangerous hobby that sets him up for accidental treason. Fleeing into Grey London, Kell runs afoul of Delilah Bard, a cut-purse with lofty aspirations. She robs him, saves him from a dangerous enemy, then forces him to take her with him for her proper adventure. 

But perilous magic is afoot, and treachery lurks at every turn. To save both his London and the others, Kell and Lila will first need to stay alive -- a feat trickier than they hoped. 

My Thoughts:

Kell is one of the last two Antari; people with magic in their blood that allows them to travel from one of the four London worlds to another. These worlds were shut off from one another because of a dark magic that destroyed the fourth London but being an Antari, Kell can magically circulate between them. But when Kell is given a dark artifact, he finds himself being chased between these realms. 

I was sucked into this story from page one. We are introduced to Kell and his fabulous coat and I was continually amazed by everything about this book. 

But. That. Coat.
I have to interrupt this review by stating that I have a bit of an obsession with coats. Sure, I live in a very hot state and have no need for them but I can't help but love them on characters. If a character is wearing a long, flowing coat - perhaps something a pirate or highwayman would wear - I will be in love. I call it "Coat Porn". It's a thing but get your mind out of the gutter, people! I just like looking at them!

Okay, back to the coat. It's multiple coats in one. That sounds ridiculous -and hot- but it's not; it's magic. A coat that fits different purposes in different worlds and can change simply by turning it inside out a few times. And Ta-da! I'm hooked.

If you want to go above and beyond in worldbuilding, make sure there's more than one world in your story. Four seems reasonable. And make sure that your characters can travel between them because why else would there be more than one. Seriously though, I loved how this world (or worlds) was set up. Every world is different, with different names for their countries, towns, and more, all the way down to the taverns. And yet, "London" is the same in all four worlds.
There's Grey London, which is basically our world, where there is no magic and everything is just kind of dull.
Then there's Kell's London, which he calls Red London because it's alive and thriving and full of magic that is practiced often. Plus it smells like flowers.
Next is White London, which is full of blood thirsty criminals and sick, sadistic twin rulers that like to torture people.
Lastly is Black London; the London that is basically dead because they abused magic, destroyed themselves, and then they were sealed off from the other worlds so the evil wouldn't spread.

Even if I knew nothing else about this book, I'd want to know what's going on in these four worlds. But then we have amazing characters!

Kell is quite a character even though we don't really learn a whole lot about him in this book. I couldn't help but fall in love with the idea of his character the same way I fell in love with that coat and the worldbuilding. It was inevitable because fantasy magic wraps me up like a warm blanket and I always root for the MC, no matter their flaws.

I really liked Kell but I honestly felt 'closer' to Lila. We get more of her inner workings. Who she is deep down. She felt more real and not just because she comes from a world that is closer to our own than any of the other Londons. She had dreams, aspirations, flaws, and a personality. I loved her. She's basically this story's anti-hero. She's reckless, stubborn, and kind of badass.

This was very plot driven and I loved every minute of it! I was never bored. I was always on the edge of my seat and waiting for the next surprise. Just about everything in this book is to the point and part of the bigger picture. That's something that really stuck with me while reading this because most books I read have a lot of pointless filler and dialogue that goes on and on. A Darker Shade of Magic was nearly perfect from beginning to end and I am so eager to start the next book!

My Rating: 5 stars

Book Review: Shadows of the Dark Crystal by J.M. Lee

Title: Shadows of the Dark Crystal
Author: J.M. Lee

Illustrator: Brian Froud

Series: Jim Henson's The Dark Crystal #1

Publisher: Grosset & Dunlap
Publication Date: June 28, 2016

Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy

Length: 272 pages

Format: Hardcover

Source: gifted

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Synopsis:

The first series of original novels ever set in the world of Jim Henson's The Dark Crystal.

Jim Henson's The Dark Crystal: Shadows of the Dark Crystal is set years before the events of the classic film and follows the journey of a young Gelfling woman who leaves her secluded home to uncover the truth surrounding the disappearance of her brother who has been accused of treason by the sinister Skeksis Lords.

My Thoughts:

Naia, is a Drenchen Gelfling who dwells within the Sog far south of the Crystal Castle. Her twin brother was sent to work in the Castle where the Skeksis' live but when a Gelfling soldier from the castle comes to the Sog and tells them that Gurjin has committed treason, Naia is determined to prove him innocent. She travels to the castle with the soldier and her father but they are waylaid before they even leave the Sog and Naia is sent ahead on her own. She makes friends along the way but this is not a journey for the lighthearted. A darkness has begun to plague the land, deep down in the roots of Thra, and both the earth and it's creatures are being affected. Can Naia figure out what this dark violet source of light is while also attempting to save her brother? 

Shadows of the Dark Crystal was everything I was hoping it would be. I felt re-immersed into the world that Jim Henson and Brian Froud created all those years ago. I grew up in love with the movie and couldn't wait to get my hands on this book when I first heard of it. I am so very glad that they decided to turn this into a work of fiction. 

This is a sort of prequel to the movie so we already have a sense of what is going to happen in the end but getting a new perspective in addition to what led up to the movie makes this very much worth reading. We get a more detailed sense of the world and how the Crystal works, the Gelfling clans, and the horrors that awaits this world and it's creatures. 

I was honestly just amazed at how well this was written. J.M. Lee did an amazing job of bringing us back to this amazing world. I sincerely hope that this series is continued soon and am eagerly awaiting it! 

My Rating: 5 stars

The Sunday Post #39 - Hello October!

The Sunday Post is a weekly meme hosted by Kimberly @ Caffeinated Book Reviewer

It's a chance to share news~ A post to recap the past week on your blog and showcase books and things you received, share news about what is coming up on your blog for the week ahead, and more.

Well, hello October! I've been impatiently waiting for you! Now I'll just have to wait a bit longer for some cooler weather.
Anyone else overly exited about Halloween this year? I'll be showing the majority of my excitement on my bookstagram. I always enjoy making new spooky decorations to add to my shelves every year and this year I'm very behind but have a few new ideas and hope to find the time.
Oh, and there's a library book sale coming up and I never miss them so look forward to a big secondhand haul soon! 

This Past Week On The Blog
Book Blast & Giveaway: Pickled Pumpkin by Deb Troehler
TTT - Books On My Fall TBR
Tackle Your TBR Read-a-thon Wrap Up
Picture Book Review: Finding Wild by Megan W. Lloyd
Book Review: The Voyage to Magical North by Claire Fayers
September Wrap Up
My Spooky October TBR

Coming Soon
TTT - Favorite Villains
Book Review: Shadows of the Dark Crystal by J.M. Lee
Book Review: A Darker Shade of Magic by VE Schwab

Books I Finished This Week

What I'm Currently Reading

    

Furthermore by Tahereh Mafi - This is such a strange story. It reminds me of Alice in Wonderland. The MC is named Alice so maybe it's a loose retelling? 

The Cartographer's Daughter by Kiran Millwood Hargrave - Another middle grade adventure. I'm attempting to get my non-spooky review books out of the way early on so I can focus on some horror books closer to Halloween. 

What I'm Watching

Besides Hotel Transylvania and Zootopia on repeat, I just started Downton Abbey for the first time. I've always enjoyed historical fiction so I am enjoying it but no one else in this house is in the least bit interested so it's difficult to find the time when I can watch it alone! 

I hope you all have a lovely week! 

Spooky October 2016 TBR

Hurray! It's October! I've been waiting for this for so long!
Other than finishing up Furthermore and a couple of review books, I will mostly be reading spooky horror stories this month!

A photo posted by Lazy Day Lit (@lazydaylit) on Oct 1, 2016 at 4:08am PDT

If you guys have instagram please go give me a follow!
 I'm participating in a few spooky challenges and spend a lot of time there these days! 

MY OCTOBER TBR

For Review

1. The Bone Witch by Rin Chupeco (2017)

2. The Cartographer's Daughter by Kiran Millwood Hargrave (Nov 2016)
3. The Fearless Traveler's Guide to Wicked Places by Pete Begler (2017)
4. Henry Hunter and the Beast of Snagov by John Matthews

For Fun
1. The Pumpkin House by Chad P. Brown
2. Hex by Thomas Olde Heuvelt
3. The Girl in the Well by Rin Chupeco
4. 20th Century Ghosts by Joe Hill
5. My Haunted House (Araminta Spook #1) by Angie Sage
6. The Ghost of Crutchfield Hall by Mary Downing Hahn
7. The Halloween Tree by Ray Bradbury
8. Three Dark Crowns by Kendare Blake
9. Serafina and the Twisted Staff by Robert Beatty

MAYBE (library e/books I have on hold that should come in soon)
1. Empire of Storms by Sarah J. Maas 
2. The Crown's Game by Evelyn Skye
3. A Gathering of Shadows by VE Schwab

I'm way behind on making any bookmarks so no giveaway right now. I may have one up soon though since I need a bookmark or two to use with all these spooky books! 

I hope you all have a lovely October! Enjoy the cooler weather if you actually have autumn in your area (or spring if you're in Australia!)
Will you be reading any spooky books this month?