Many books were read this month, so let's jump into it.
BEST OF THE MONTH
Empty Mile by Matthew Stokoe
Yes, THAT Matthew Stokoe. The one that wrote that grossout book, Cows. Stokoe has refined his writing. This one is a rural noir family drama, but it cooks. Loaded with tense scenes and emotional weight. Everything you'd want in a book like this. High Life was good, but I think this one is even better.
WORST OF THE MONTH
Sleepless by Lou Morgan
I'm relatively sure that underneath the weight of its annoying teen characters, there is a great YA story about teens taking a new scary drug to study.
The rest:
The Butterfly Revolution by William Butler. Obviously inspired by Lord of the Flies, and just as good if you ask me. Grade: B
Blind Voices by Tom Reamy. I love traveling carnival stories. It just took too long to get going. Grade: D
Barbaric by Moreci/Gooden (graphic novel). A gory and comedic take on the barbarian trope. Great art, story was average. Grade: C
Swan Songs by W Waxwell Prince (ed. graphic novel). This was a comic book anthology with a theme of "endings." Grade: C
Flesh and Blood by Simon Cheshire. A bit of a trite title, but this is a very original and dark YA novel. Grade: B
High Life by Matthew Stokoe. On the extremity scale, this one is somewhere between Cows and Empty Mile. Very good erotic thriller. Grade: B
The Wicked Unseen by Gigi Griffis. This is the second-best book I'd read this month. A YA satanic panic story, perfectly executed. Grade: A
The Midnite Show by Bunn/Hurtt (graphic novel). This is for the classic horror buffs. A pulp horror premise (the movie monsters are REAL!) for those in the market for that. Grade: C
The Wise Friend by Ramsey Campbell. I've given him another shot. I'm just not a Ramsey Campbell guy. I don't have the patience. Grade: D
Kill Your Darlings by Parker/Sheridan/Quinn (graphic novel). "Narnia meets Hereditary" is a perfect blurb. Grade: B
Spawn: Dark Horror by Macfarlane/Alexander (graphic novel). Great art (as all Spawns have in common), with a good, but overly complex storyline. Grade: C
Creep by Jennifer Hillier. Hillier's debut. She's gotten much better since, but it wasn't bad. Grade: C
The Hollow Girl by Hilary Monahan. Lost a bit of momentum in the third act, but solid YA dark fantasy. Grade: C
The Antidote by Karen Russell. Historical fiction written in a boring way. Swamplandia! is miles better. Grade: D
Reviews by Jason Cavallaro
jcavallaro42@gmail.com
Twitter: @pinheadspawn
Instagram: @jcavallaro42
BlueSky: @jasoncavallaro
BEST OF THE MONTHEmpty Mile by Matthew Stokoe
Yes, THAT Matthew Stokoe. The one that wrote that grossout book, Cows. Stokoe has refined his writing. This one is a rural noir family drama, but it cooks. Loaded with tense scenes and emotional weight. Everything you'd want in a book like this. High Life was good, but I think this one is even better.
WORST OF THE MONTH
Sleepless by Lou Morgan
I'm relatively sure that underneath the weight of its annoying teen characters, there is a great YA story about teens taking a new scary drug to study.
The rest:
The Butterfly Revolution by William Butler. Obviously inspired by Lord of the Flies, and just as good if you ask me. Grade: B
Blind Voices by Tom Reamy. I love traveling carnival stories. It just took too long to get going. Grade: D
Barbaric by Moreci/Gooden (graphic novel). A gory and comedic take on the barbarian trope. Great art, story was average. Grade: C
Swan Songs by W Waxwell Prince (ed. graphic novel). This was a comic book anthology with a theme of "endings." Grade: C
Flesh and Blood by Simon Cheshire. A bit of a trite title, but this is a very original and dark YA novel. Grade: B
High Life by Matthew Stokoe. On the extremity scale, this one is somewhere between Cows and Empty Mile. Very good erotic thriller. Grade: B
The Wicked Unseen by Gigi Griffis. This is the second-best book I'd read this month. A YA satanic panic story, perfectly executed. Grade: AThe Midnite Show by Bunn/Hurtt (graphic novel). This is for the classic horror buffs. A pulp horror premise (the movie monsters are REAL!) for those in the market for that. Grade: C
The Wise Friend by Ramsey Campbell. I've given him another shot. I'm just not a Ramsey Campbell guy. I don't have the patience. Grade: D
Kill Your Darlings by Parker/Sheridan/Quinn (graphic novel). "Narnia meets Hereditary" is a perfect blurb. Grade: B
Spawn: Dark Horror by Macfarlane/Alexander (graphic novel). Great art (as all Spawns have in common), with a good, but overly complex storyline. Grade: C
Creep by Jennifer Hillier. Hillier's debut. She's gotten much better since, but it wasn't bad. Grade: C
The Hollow Girl by Hilary Monahan. Lost a bit of momentum in the third act, but solid YA dark fantasy. Grade: C
The Antidote by Karen Russell. Historical fiction written in a boring way. Swamplandia! is miles better. Grade: D
Reviews by Jason Cavallaro
jcavallaro42@gmail.com
Twitter: @pinheadspawn
Instagram: @jcavallaro42
BlueSky: @jasoncavallaro
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