Dear Readers, February was a great month. I completed my goal of 7 books this month. Thanks to Netgalley, I read 2 horror, 1 mystery, 2 young adult, 1 literature, and 2 new releases. I also read 2 books from a series: one Goosebumps book and the other Superman: Dawnbreaker, part of DC Icons. I read one 5-star book, three 4-star books, two 3-star books, and one 2-star book.

Five Star Reviews:

James by Percival Everett is a literary fiction novel. It takes an in-depth look at the character of Jim from The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain. James surprised me in many ways. This is both Jim from The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and James who will do anything for his family. One of my chief complaints about The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is the ticking clock of Jim heading north is always present. In James, escaping slavery is the focus. James’s story is broken down into 3 parts. Part one mainly follows the events of The Adventures of Huckleberry until we meet the King and the Duke. The introduction to the King and Duke advances the plot point of them selling Jim. Part two is almost completely new but has a very memorable Huck and Jim reunion. Part three is completely new and goes to places I could not believe. James has a twist that made my jaw drop. James is going to be a hard book to top this year.

Four Star Reviews:

The God of the Woods by Liz Moore is a dark slow burn mystery. The story is broken into two mysteries what happened to Bear Van Laar, an 8-year-old child in 1961. And what happened to Barbara Van Laar in 1975? The novel is set in the 1950s to 1975. 1975 acts as the present day of the novel. I found both mysteries compelling. This book is more than a mystery as it dives deep into heritage, upbringing, class, and well being. This book uncovers all the secrets that the ultra-rich Van Laars are hiding. The mystery bounces around in time. The reader spends most of the time in 1975 when Barbara Van Laar goes missing. But the facts of that case rely on opening the case in 1961 of Barbara’s missing brother Bear Van Laar. The novel is told cleverly through only 6 perspectives, but it feels like so much more. The God of the Woods is filled with characters that could all be suspects and some for both mysteries.

All Better Now by Neal Shusterman is a Young Adult novel about a pandemic with a twist. The twist is what if the disease had a side effect that when you recovered you had no fears, no anxiety, and were generally happy? A person could notice the slightest details, the only thing you want to do is help people. Just hearing this you would think everyone would enjoy this. But there are consequences like the fall of commerce. The novel poses a question. Do we need people to work the jobs they hate to make the world work? Shusterman is great at taking this dream one-sided scenario and realistically creating three sides. The sides are the infected, those who do not want to be affected, and immune people. The novel is a pretty obvious response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The mask, vaccine, and conspiracy about the origins and effects of the virus are all discussed.

Midwestern Gothic by Scott Thomas is a four novella collection featuring gothic tales set in Kansas. The collection defines gothic as a horror of the land. It is better described as a horror that is just under the surface. The horror in most of these stories is deeply rooted in the lore of the land. The land demands sacrifices. The horror is also deeply rooted in stories passed down from generation to generation. In all the stories, there is a book. It either mirrors the events occurring or provides the characters with insight into a horror they are facing. The stories are brutal and enter extreme horror. I define extreme horror as offering no mercy. It involves killing anyone or anything. The violence and gore are described in the most graphic detail possible. I liked some stories more than others but I felt all the stories were good.

Three Star Reviews:

Mr. Mercedes by Stephen King is a crime thriller. Mr. Mercedes is the start of Stephen King’s crime fiction writing. His writing has always had a pulpy quality and was influenced by hard crime mysteries. Mr. Mercedes is the first book in the Bill Hodges trilogy. Mr. Mercedes is also the first time Holly Gibney is introduced. Holly Gibney has been in a novella and 5 novels so far with another coming this year. Holly is a standout in Mr. Mercedes but you wouldn’t think in this story that he would become so obsessed with the character. The story is good but it could have been better. Stephen King’s writing sometimes gets in the way during this story. Stephen King loves to over explain and go on a tangent explaining the background of a hero and villain. In this story, he does both. I liked all the background work he does on all the characters. However, it doesn’t always serve the story. We learn the identity of the killer in the first three chapters. There is no mystery about who he is or his goal of causing suffering.

Goosebumps – My Best Friend Is Invisible by R.L. Stine is book 57 in Goosebumps Original series order. This book has minimal scares and is more humorous. There is an ongoing debate about whether the boy is invisible or a ghost. The horror is what if someone you did not know was invisible, and wanted to be your best friend. The invisible boy does not take no for an answer. Some of the humor does work. There’s a funny prank at school. In this prank, everyone acts like they have an invisible friend. Another humorous scene is when his little brother kicks the older brother and blames it on the invisible friend. The final twist was great and it lays the groundwork for the twist at the end very early. The Invisible Man by H.G. the book changes it to The Invisible Boy to make a twist at the end work. My Best Friend Is Invisible is not a bad Goosebumps, but not a good one either

Two Star Reviews:

Superman: Dawnbreaker by Matt de la Pena is a story about Clark Kent before he became Superman. Superman: Dawnbreaker is the 4th book in the DC Icons series. The DC Icon is a series that features a DC hero or villain before they become costumed. In Superman: Dawnbreaker, Clark Kent is 17 and attends Smallville High School. He already has the power of strength and speed. Throughout this book, he will develop X-ray vision, cold breath, flight, and heat vision. This is how the TV series Smallville started, and Smallville did it so much better. I did not like Superman: Dawnbreaker I did not think it brought anything new or clever. The book does social commentary on the status of immigrants in America, but it is very sloppy. I thought the book was going to tie in that Superman is an immigrant too, but it doesn’t do that. The book features one Mexican family that seems to have no Mexican heritage at all.