The Elementals

Today's post is on The Elementals by Michael McDowell. It is 218 pages and is published by Valancourt Books. The cover has a house in the center on a dune with a red sky behind it. The intended reader is someone who loves classic, gothic, southern horror. There is some mild foul language, no sex, and mild violence in this novel. The story is told from third person close of the main character, India. There Be Spoilers Ahead.

From the back of the book- After a bizarre and disturbing incident at the funeral of matriarch Marian Savage, the McCray and Savage families look forward to a restful and relaxing summer at Beldame, on Alabama's Gulf Coast, where three Victorian houses rise above the shimmering beach. Two of the houses are habitable, while the third is slowly and mysteriously being buried beneath an enormous dune of blindingly white sand. But though long uninhabited, the third house is not empty. Inside, something deadly lies in wait. Something that has terrified Dauphin Savage and Luker McCray since they were boys and which still haunts their nightmares. Something horrific that may be responsible for several terrible and unexplained deaths years earlier- and is now ready to kill again...

Review- This is one of the best southern gothic horror novels that I have ever read. This is a wonderful written novel about creeping dread that hunts your family across the generations and now is coming for you. McDowell is from Alabama and knows the coast very well and that comes out in his descriptions of the coast and areas around it. The reader can feel the heat of the June sun, hear the surf pounding the shore, and the hiss of the sand will send chills up your spine. India has never been to Alabama but when her aunt's mother-in-law dies, India and her father Luker, head to Mobile for the funeral and then to Beldame to recover and relax in the sun. But something is waiting for them there and India is drawn to it and what is means. This  novel is chilling in the horror but it is a slow burn, I did not mind as McDowell is a wonderful writer and I know the Gulf Coast of Alabama myself. I would highly recommend this novel for anyone who wants or loves to read southern gothic, McDowell does it the best that I have ever read. I will be reading more from him. 

I give this novel a a very strong Five out of Five stars. I get nothing for my review and I borrowed this novel from my local library.

Slenderman: Online Obsession, Mental Illness, and the Violent Crime of Two Midwestern Girls

Today's post is on Slenderman: Online Obsession, Mental Illness, and the Violent Crime of Two Midwestern Girls by Kathleen Hale. It is 348 pages long and is published by Grove Press. The cover is a picture of a suburban neighborhood. The intended reader is someone who is interested in modern true crime and mental health. There is some mild foul language, no sex, and violence in this book. There Be Spoilers Ahead.

From the dust jacket- On May 31, 2014, in the Milwaukee suburb  of Waukesha, Wisconsin, two twelve-year-old girls attempted to stab their classmate to death. Morgan Geyser and Anissa Weier's violence was extreme, but what seems even more frightening was that they committed their crime under the influence of a figure born by the internet" the so-called "Slenderman". Yet the even more urgent aspect of the story, that the children involved suffered from undiagnosed mental illnesses, often went overlooked in coverage of the case.
Slenderman: Online Obsession, Mental Illness, and the Violent Crime of Two Midwestern Girls tells that full story for the first time in deeply researched detail, using court transcripts, police reports, individual reporting, and exclusive interviews. Morgan and Anissa were bound together by their shared loved of geeky television shows and animals, and their discovery of the user-uploaded scary stories on the Creepypasta website could have been nothing more than a brief phase. But Morgan was suffering from early-onset childhood schizophrenia. She believed that she had seen Slenderman long before discovering him online, and the way to stop home from killing her family was to bring him a sacrifice: Morgan's best friend, Payton "Bella" Leutner, whom she and Anissa planned to stab to death on the night of Morgan's twelfth birthday party. Bella survived the attack, but was deeply traumatized, while Morgan  and Anissa were immediately sent to jail, and the severity of their crime meant that they would be prosecuted as adults. There, as Morgan continued to suffer from worsening mental illness after being denied antipsychotics, her life became more and more surreal. 

Review- This is a very sad story for all the parties involved. Hale starts with the girls parents, their home lives, their friends, and everything else to try and get the best look at the crime from all sides. Hale is interested the most in Morgan and her inner life. When with the focus on Morgan, the horror of what happens to Payton is not lessened. But Hale wants the reader to think about the state of mental illness and how it is treated or untreated in America. Morgan was not seen as sick until too late, the lust for revenge was stronger than the search for truth or justice, and there are no winners in this story. Everyone loses in this story but maybe with greater knowledge about laws, mental illness, and where they collide more can be done to help more children like Morgan and protect more children like Payton. 

I give this book a Four out of Five stars. I get nothing for my review and I borrowed this book from my local library. 

Villains Are Destined to Die, vol 1

Today's post is on Villains Are Destined to Die, vol 1 by SUOL and Gwon Gyeoeul. It is 256 pages long and is published by Ize Press. The cover has the main character, Penelope holding a dark red rose, resting on a bed of white roses. The intended reader is someone who likes isekai stories, clever heroines, and dark storylines. There is very mild foul language, no sex, and mild violence in this manga. The story is told from third person close of Penelope. There Be Spoilers Ahead.

From the back of the book- A villain living life in hard mode... whose every path leads to death.
Playing Daughter of the Duke's Super Love Project as the easy mode heroine, Ivonne, makes charming the male characters a breeze. But once you switch to hard mode and step into the shoes of Penelope, the misunderstood villains, it's nearly impossible to even stay alive~ So imagine the shock of suddenly waking up in Penelope's body- you know right away that your life is on the line With love interests who will kill you if their affection meters drop too low and the inability to speak without choosing from pre-selected dialogue, it quickly becomes clear that Penelope's changes have been rigged from the start- and this villain might just be destined to die!

Review- This is a great manga with one very interesting main character. A girl who just wants to a play a love game between studying for class, wakes up as the villain in hard mode. She has hints and she remembers the story from normal but everything seems different now. Somethings where not in the normal mode story and Penelope is going to have to think fast if she wants to survive her new life. This manga is very good with an interesting storyline, some of the best art in modern Korean manga, and one heck of a good main character. Penelope is the real draw to the story at first, how is she going to get out of this, how is she going defend herself, and can she get back home to her real life? This volume introduces all but one of the five male leads and my favorite Callisto has one of the best entrances ever, with banging a door open and a surprise for the everyone in tow. Now this manga and the novel it is based on are dark and have dark themes discussed but I personally think that this story is good enough to carry the themes and Penelope is one of my favorite heroines. I would recommend this manga. 

I give this manga a Five out of Five stars. I get nothing for my review and I bought this manga with my own money as soon as I could!

The Rust Maidens

Today's post is on The Rust Maidens  by Gwendolyn Kiste. It is 250 pages long and is published by Trepidtio Publishing. The cover has a female figure transforming into something inhuman. The intended reader is someone who likes horror with lots of character development. There is some foul language, no sex, and very mild violence in this novel. The story is told from the first person perspective of the main character, Phoebe. There Be Spoilers Ahead.

From the back of the book- Something's happening to the girls on Denton Street.
It's the summer of 1980 in Cleveland, Ohio, and Phoebe Shaw and her best friend Jacqueline have just graduated high school, only to confront an ugly, uncertain future. Across the city, abandoned factories populate the skyline; meanwhile at the shore, one strong spark, and the Cuyahoga River might catch fire. But none of that compares to what's happening in their own west side neighborhood. The girls Phoebe and Jacqueline have grown up with are changing. It starts with footprints of dark water on the sidewalk. Then, one by one, the girls' bodies wither away, their fingernails turning to broken glass, and their bones exposed like corroded metal beneath their flesh.
As rumors spread about the grotesque transformations, soon everyone from nosy tourists to clinic doctors and government men start arriving on Denton Street, eager to catch sight of 'The Rust Maidens" in metamorphosis. But even with all the onlookers nobody can explain what's happening or why- except perhaps the Rust Maidens themselves. Whispering in secret, they know more than they're telling, and Phoebe realizes that her former friends are quietly preparing for something that will tear their neighborhood apart.
Alternating between the past and present, Phoebe struggles to unravel the mystery of the Rust maidens0 and her own unwitting role in the transformations- before she loses everything she's held dear: her home, her best friend, and even perhaps her own body.

Review- This book was a woman's scream frozen in print. All the women in this novel are fighting to get out of whatever is trapping them, from a unplanned pregnancy to disapproving parents with other plans for her life. Only Phoebe has a plan and parents who are going to help her get out of this hopeless place. This novel is about women and their fight to be more than just wives and mothers and sometimes that fight is won in a very disturbing way. But the heart of the story is Phoebe and her dealing with what happened to the Rust Maidens and how it affected the rest of her life. It is in the end a hopeful story but at times, I wondered if Phoebe was going to make out and she does but she doesn't. The writing is incredible, the characters are so vivid that I could hear the girls screams and songs and the world are so real as on of the main plot points is something that happens in the real world all the time. I would highly recommend this novel, it is just incredible. 

I give this novel a Five out of Five stars. I get nothing for my review and I borrowed this book from my local library.

Scorpions' Dance: The President, the Spymaster, and Watergate

 

Today's nonfiction post is on Scorpions' Dance: The President, the Spymaster, and Watergate by Jefferson Morley. It is 326 pages long and published by St. Martin's Press. The cover is a picture of the White House with the presidential car in front of it. The intended reader is someone who is interesting in the history of the Central Intelligence Agency, Nixon's White House, and Watergate. There is some foul language, no sex, and some violence in this book. There Be Spoilers Ahead.

From the dust jacket- Fifty years after the Watergate break-in, the untold story behind the scandal that ended a presidency.
With fresh reporting by intelligence historian Jefferson Morley, Scorpions' Dance reveals the Watergate scandal in a striking new light: as the culmination of a concealed, volatile power struggle between President Richard Nixon and CIA director Richard Helms.
Nixon and Helms went back decades; both were 1950's Cold Warriors, and both knew secrets about the disastrous Bay of Pigs invasion of Cuba, the Kennedy administration's dangerous liaisons with organized crime, as well as off-the-books White House and CIA plots to remove Fidel Castro and other Latin-American leaders from power. Both had enough information on each other to ruin their careers.
After the Watergate burglary on June 17, 1972, Nixon was desperate to shut down the FBI's investigation. He sought Helm's support and asked that the CIA intervene- knowing that most of the Water burglars were, after all, retired CIA agents, contractors, or long-term assets with deep knowledge of the Agency's most sensitive secrets. Nixon and Helms then circled each other like scorpions, defending themselves with the threat of lethal attack. The loser would resign his office in disgrace; the winner, however would face consequences of his for the secrets he kept.

Review- An interesting take on the Watergate scandal, not from the White House, but from the CIA, it's director, and agents. The book follows Richard Helms from the beginning of his career all the way to the end. Helms was America's best spymaster and he had his hands in everything but he was local to the office of the President, even if he disagreed with the man himself. The whole Watergate scandal is covered but from the CIA and Helms perspective not the White House. That gives an interesting and unique look into the scandal, as Helms was not as involved as the White House. He had distance from it and gave him power over the White House and the other people more involved, and Helms used that power. He used it to protect himself, his agents, and the CIA itself. If you want to know more about Watergate but not the White House angle, then you should give this book a try. 

I give this book a Four out of Five stars. I get nothing for my review and I borrowed this book from my local library.

Revolutionary Girl Utena, Vol. 4: To Bud

Today’s nonfiction post is on Revolutionary Girl Utena, Vol. 4: To Bud by Chiho Saitō. It is 192 pages long and is published by Shojo Beat. The cover is an illustration of Utena in her fencing gear. There is no foul language, mild sexuality, and mild violence in this book. The intended reader is someone who likes classic shojo manga. The story is told from third person close following Utena. There Be Spoilers Ahead. 

From the back of the book- Still searching for the elusive prince who saved her life as a young girl, Utena faces her toughest challenge yet: the romantic overtures of Akio Ohtori. Can she trust the handsome but rakish older man? And if so, will he able to help her ascend to the Castle in the Sky? After a night of passion, Utena hopes the power of love will change her destiny. But is she ready to participate in the Consummation Ceremony?

Review- Everything happens so quickly in this volume. Utena becomes infatuated with Aiko, Anthy’s brother, who in turn is really just using Utena to try and get into the castle to kill Dios and take his power. Utena becomes the rose bride for a while until Aiko does not need her any more and Anthy is shown to be little more than a puppet for her brother and his schemes. Everything that the reader thought we knew about this world has been tossed out the door. Utena is the only one chosen by Dios, the other duelists were just Aiko casting a wide net to try and find the one chosen by Dios. At the end of the volume Utena and Aiko are squaring up for a final confrontation. I am curious about how this is going to end.

I give this manga a Four out of Five stars. I get nothing for my review and I bought this manga with my own money. 

 

Wytches, Volume 1

Today's post is on Wytches, volume 1 by Scott Snyder (Goodreads Author), Jock (Illustrator), Matt Hollingsworth (colorist), Clem Robins (letterer). It is 192 pages long and is published by Image Comics. The cover is dark with a lone figure standing in a forest and blood coming from a tree. The intended reader is someone who likes dark storylines and monsters. There is some mild foul language, no sex, and some violence in this comic. The story is told from the perspectives of Sailor and her father Charles Rook. There Be Spoilers Ahead.

From the back of the book- When the Rooks family moves to the remote town of Litchfield, New Hampshire to escape a haunting trauma, they're hopeful about starting over. But something evil is waiting for them in the woods just beyond town. Watching from the trees Ancient... and hungry.

Review- This is a good story about a girl and her father just trying to survive. Sailor saw something horrible happen to her bully and was thought to have something to do with the bully's disappearance. The Rooks family moved to try and make a new start. But the past, more than one past, is haunting and hunting them. There are many things to like about this comic but I think the best part is the relationship between Sailor and her father, Charlie. The pure love between them, the kind of love that makes hard choices. The story is interesting with just the right cliffhangers, the characters are interesting, and the art is good. I would have liked to see more of the Wytches in better light but that is the only complaint and the good parts out weight my one mild complaint. I would recommend this comic and I look forward to reading the next collection. 

I give this comic a Four out of Five stars. I get nothing for my review and I borrowed this comic from my local library.