March Book Haul

I know I'm late to this particular game, but I finally discovered Thrift Books. May god have mercy on my bank account.DEALING IN DREAMS, BELOW, A DAY OF FIRE, and THE PRINCESS AND THE FAN GIRL are all from PaperBackSwap. The rest are from Thrift Books and, thankfully to say, are all simply additions to my library. I've read all of those, so they are NOT being added to my TBR pile! Hooray! 🥳The ebooks, on the other hand . . .I'll start with the ARCs. That's always a pretty short list.See? Nice and short list.Not so much the stuff I collected . . .A lot of freebies this month thanks to book promos. I just can't help myself.

A Flame in the Night by Morgan Dante

Published: April 11, 2023Publisher: SelfAuthor: WebsiteInfo: Goodreads

The start of bloody decadence...The definition of marriage: Two people and their silver-haired vampire.In 1924, Paris is a bastion of sexual freedom, even for shell-shocked Leon Laflamme, the most dramatic blond this side of the Seine. After years of loneliness and secrecy, he's married the clever and sumptuous burlesque dancer Claire. However, Leon truly finds liberation when he meets the stoic, intriguing, and silver-haired Count Matthias, who offers true freedom in his dark gift: immortality. (goodreads.com)

I'm just a hair shy of saying the florid writing of A FLAME IN THE NIGHT was too much for me, but most of the time it created a sumptuous scene that was just luscious to read. It did occasionally lose itself in the language, though, as I had a hard time working my way through some of the sentences and certain scenes, especially the sex scenes because the descriptions got a little boggy. It sometimes slowed the reading down to the point where I got a little lost in what was happening.Dante nails painting vivid characters from the moment they step on the page. Claire and Leon and Matthias were all fully formed using so few words. In their cadence of speech, how they viewed the world, and how they interacted with each other. The development there was enviable.The pacing was a little slow, which is kind of surprising for such a short book. There is a lot of character setup and their interaction with Matthias, and getting to the point of his story arc, took more than half the book to get to. As a result, the ending felt rushed, albeit it satisfactory. I liked where the story went and how the arc was resolved. I liked the realization of just how shallow the monster now lives under their skin and how they now must control it forever. It creates a good cyclical plot. Leon and Claire were running from monsters, and they ended up fighting fire with fire.If you're looking for a lush read that's sexy as hell (those sex scenes were something else) that's worth the payoff of a slower start to the plot, you'll like A FLAME IN THE NIGHT.3.5I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.

In Nightfall by Suzanne Young

Published: 3/28/23Publisher: Delacorte PressAuthor: WebsiteInfo: Goodreads

Theo and her brother, Marco, threw the biggest party of the year. And got caught. Their punishment? Leave Arizona to spend the summer with their grandmother in the rainy beachside town of Nightfall, Oregon--population 846 souls.The small town is cute, when it's not raining, but their grandmother is superstitious and strangely antisocial. Upon their arrival she lays out the one house rule: always be home before dark. But Theo and Marco are determined to make the most of their summer, and on their first day they meet the enigmatic Minnow and her friends. Beautiful and charismatic, the girls have a magnetic pull that Theo and her brother can't resist.But Minnow and her friends are far from what they appear.And that one rule? Theo quickly realizes she should have listened to her grandmother. Because after dark, something emerges in Nightfall. And it doesn't plan to let her leave. (goodreads.com)

I had to give myself a little time before reviewing IN NIGHTFALL. I was so far into my feels with it I needed a passport to get back. I am all for Lost Boys-inspired books. It's pretty much a guarantee that I will pick it up. It's how I found the Blood Coven series by Mari Mancusi (after a referral from a friend) and MAYHEM by Estelle Laure. GIVE. IT. TO. ME. So when I saw that IN NIGHTFALL was Lost Boys-inspired, I went YES.Until I read the blurb.Why did the blurb take be aback? Because it's basically the plot of The Lost Boys. Down to moving from Phoenix to a small beach town in California, I mean Oregon. Commence rage.No, Donna! Don't! Don't judge it until you can read it! That might not be the case!So I read the first chapter preview.There was more rage.Why? Because it's the opening credits scene of The Lost Boys. Nearly to a T.THINGS AREN'T LOOKING GOOD.I'd requested the book as soon as I heard about it back in July or August. I just got the approval for it in March and I immediately started reading because I had to know.I HAD TO.And????I'll start with what I liked about it:Divorced from its source material, it's exactly the sort of YA horror I've been looking for in the current market. Not too deep, kind of kitschy, fun, spooky, underlying creepy. An all around good time. Doesn't require too much thought and gives me exactly what I was looking for. In that aspect, it nailed The Lost Boys right on the head.Unfortunately, it nailed everything else about The Lost Boys right on the script.IN NIGHTFALL isn't an homage to The Lost Boys. It's not inspired by. It IS. Young did not deviate from the plot of the movie at all. So readers, if you're familiar with The Lost Boys, you will know the entire plot of this book before even picking it up. You will know which character is which, what happens to who, every twist and turn, and how it ends. You already know how this book pans out. There aren't Lost Boys easter eggs in here. It's the whole damn rabbit. Characters, actions, scenes, character motivations, the blood-sucking Brady Bunch. It's all there.What's different about it? It takes place in Oregon and the vampires are chicks. That's about it.It's The Lost Boys without the personality of The Lost Boys. Gone is Joel Schumacher's sexiness, the dark undercurrent of the story wrapped in a pseudo-happy-go-lucky veneer, and the flash genius in the frying pan of the 80s to do something wholly unique. IN NIGHTFALL ends up being a pale, bland knock off that's disappointingly straight. Where Schumacher's movie was throbbing with queer subtext, Young's book gives mid-teens YA vibes in its heteronormativity. Of course, I can't forget the Frog brothers, I mean the gay podcasters that are the token gay comedic relief that exist to serve the main character. I've literally read better, more inventive TLB fanfic (and I've read A LOT of TLB fanfic). This book screams self insert Emerson sister fic.I was so, so hopeful that Young was going to do something different with it. Killer mermaids or sirens or selkies or something. Do something to make it actually her own story. Those were the vibes I was getting for the first, like, third of the book. NOPE. It's The Lost Boys, slightly tweaked.Who is this book supposed to be for? Because when the blurb is using comps like The Lost Boys and Buffy, are today's teens going to know what any of that is? Probably not, unless they have parents with taste. Those comps are for people my age, because this YA book isn't really being sold to teens, now is it? Says the teen librarians themselves, books like this are being written for the adults who buy them, not the teens who read them. The thing is, IN NIGHTFALL is actually a great book to fit in that space. The MC doesn't even have her license yet. This is actually a fantastic YA book FOR TEENS. But the marketing is targeting the nostalgia of the people with the bank accounts. I'm sure teen readers, especially younger teen readers, would love this book, but it has nothing to do with The Lost Boys or Buffy.It's just getting old that publishers are getting so risk averse with what they put out that they just keep regurgitating the same thing because it's safe. Young, with her impressive backlist, is as safe and as sure of a bet as one can get in publishing, which is why we're here. Her writing is fine. It's nothing to write home about, but she can string a sentence together. It gets the job done and moved me from one end of the book to the other. But this safety also guarantees that instead of a unique take on The Lost Boys, something that is genuinely a hat tip to the movie but stands on its own and speaks to a newer author's imagination and verve, we get barely conceived fanfiction that doesn't do anything with the source material except follow the movie's plot. I'll just watch the movie, thanks.PS: Where the hell does Buffy come into this? The fancy dress and vampire-staking at the end? Bit of a stretch.1.5I received a copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Hanging with Vampires by Insha Fitzpatrick

Pub Date: March 28, 2023Publisher: Quirk BooksAuthor: WebsiteInfo: Goodreads

Are vampires real? Who was Vlad the Impaler? Do vampire bats ever feed on humans? Find out in Hanging with Vampires, a field guide for the curious and the adventurous. Crack open the lid on this guide and you’ll get:Bloodcurdling vampire mythology! What exactly is a vampire, anyway?Spine-chilling history and science! Uncover how the vampire legend got its start in the medieval ages.A who’s who of vampires! Get to know classic, iconic, and terrifying vampires in pop culture, from Dracula to Adventure Time.Hanging with Vampires is the first book in the Totally Factual Field Guide to the Supernatural series, a hilarious and haunting exploration of how myths and legends shape our lives. Sink your fangs into vampire lore and literature with enchanting illustrations and fun activities, like making garlic bread. It’s a spooky world out there–grab your guide, and let’s go! (goodreads.com)

Oh, my heart! This book is divine. I can't say enough good things about it.The art is superb. A hint spooky, a hint goofy, and completely darling. It balanced the topic at hand nicely.And the content is completely on the nose. A super high level look at the concept of vampires throughout history, with some scientific explanations thrown in, is a great introduction to the supernatural for anyone who's interested.My favorite part was when it got to vampires in film, and it got into Twilight. I was choking down the full page write up on what the movie was about, until I turned that page and read the full page caveat about how it's a problematic movie and why critics of it will say it is. I LOVED IT. And then the whole following section about the growing diversity around vampires and how not diverse the myth was until very recently. It's pretty much impossible not to talk about vampires in cinema without talking about Twilight, and I think Fitzpatrick addressed all that wonderfully.HANGING WITH VAMPIRES approaches topics like intersectionality, the value of representation in literature and film, and the deeper dives behind the cultural meaning of the vampire throughout history in a way that's understandable and relatable and puts things into context. It provides just enough nuance that, if a reader wanted to look deeper into a particular topic, the author has given that reader just enough of a hint as to where to go from there. Loved it.Unfortunately, that means it will likely get banned because Fitzpatrick deigned to bring a "woke" attitude to a classic creature. We don't want to indoctrinate our children, you hear? 🙄 <-- That's an eye-roll emoji in case you can't see it.This book is a great starting place for those new to the lore, young or old. The tone of the book is fun and upbeat, but it doesn't shy away from more difficult topics and some of the deeply rooted issues surrounding vampire lore. If you know of anyone who's toeing the line of the supernatural, HANGING WITH VAMPIRES is for them, regardless of age. Plus Fitzpatrick talks about two of my favorite movies: The Lost Boys and Vampires vs the Bronx. So of course it's fantastic. 😁5I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

The Secrets of Hartwood Hall by Katie Lumsden

Published: February 28, 2023Publisher: DuttonAuthor: WebsiteInfo: Goodreads

It's 1852 and Margaret Lennox, a young widow, attempts to escape the shadows of her past by taking a position as governess to an only child, Louis, at an isolated country house in the west of England.But Margaret soon starts to feel that something isn't quite right. There are strange figures in the dark, tensions between servants, and an abandoned east wing. Even stranger is the local gossip surrounding Mrs. Eversham, Louis's widowed mother, who is deeply distrusted in the village.Lonely and unsure whom to trust, Margaret finds distraction in a forbidden relationship with the gardener, Paul. But as Margaret's history threatens to catch up with her, it isn't long before she learns the truth behind the secrets of Hartwood Hall. (goodreads.com)

THE SECRETS OF HARTWOOD HALL is an incredibly atmospheric book that sets the tone from page one. A widow with a questionable past and a maybe suspicious death of her husband. A creepy old house with figures lurking in the shadows. Conspiring servants that promise to make life difficult. It's a lot for one person to handle, yet I think Margaret handles it quite well, all things considered. I'm not sure if I would have let Susan get away with the things she did, but social conventions and hierarchy in the household are things I don't have the best grasp on with this particular setting.I loved the underlying thrum of creepiness Lumsden created with the setting. That even despite a sunny day, there's almost something sinister and looming about Hartwood Hall, the people living in it, or the townspeople looking at it with fear. She mounted that well throughout the book, creating an ambiance of distrust with the reader, making them question whether Margaret is a reliable narrator or not. And as a reader, you honestly don't know until the very end of the book where everything comes to a head.A part of me wants to say that Paul wasn't that necessary of a character, and that whole plotline wasn't very needed. At the same time, the emotional growth Margaret got out of it was integral to her character arc, and I'm not sure how else that specific growth could have been done. Granted, there wasn't much buildup to that pivotal moment when she has that awakening. It seemed sudden and not out of nowhere, but they weren't thoughts in Margaret's head until Paul forced them in there, which makes it seem kind of out of nowhere where that plotline went. At the same time, it's completely relatable, because I've found myself in certain relationships where one person thought waaaaaaayyyy beyond what I did and his ideals weren't in alignment with mine. It just wasn't a conversation we thought to have until that final moment. So with that in mind, it is a rather realistic moment.LOL glad I could talk myself in a circle there!I enjoyed what I was reading in THE SECRETS OF HARTWOOD HALL. The story had me hooked, and I wanted to know how everything was going to come to a head. Are there really ghosts in the manor, or is it something else? Something far more sinister? That absolutely kept me going. But also the evolution of Margaret. And the honest emotions of her, especially in regard to Susan. I liked how she wrestled with those. It lent realism to her situation and her emotional growth.I don't want to say much else because it may spoil things, but I liked the ending. It wrapped up in a very satisfying way that had me on board with every character in the story. It's a good book, and I think it would do well as a read on an overcast, rainy day or a fall evening when the wind is blowing and the leaves are rustling. Get that extra-sensory mood in there as well.4I received a copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.