For my next color tbr set (I’m catching up from 2023; previous sets featured icy blues, sweet purples, and Women’s Prize contenders). With this batch I wanted to add some horror and thrills to my summer reading and went with a dark blue stormy cover vibe. The books:
Vampires of El Norte by Isabel Cañas is the latest offering from the author of The Hacienda, which ranked among my favorite reads of 2022. Although neither have quite landed in the 5-star range for me, and even though this sophomore title didn’t impress me quite as much as Cañas’ debut, I adore this author’s work and always have a great time reading her stories.
In this book we follow two primary characters, reading from both of their POV’s; the book opens with these young (and infatuated) friends out late in northern Mexico 1840s, when they come across their first vampire in the dark of the evening. The girl is injured during this encounter, and the young man carries her home, believing her dead. Heartbroken and blaming himself, he leaves. Several years later, as a local militia force is being assembled by the area’s rancheros to deal with the threat of encroaching American soldiers, the young man returns to lend his support for family and friends left behind and the couple meet again, brushing once more with vampires as they rediscover each other.
There’s a lot to love here between the appreciation for Mexican culture, the historical record of conflict at the US/Mexico border, the vampirical horror element which appeals both as literal creature horror and also plays into a larger theme of American nefariousness against their southern neighbor. The only thing that didn’t work for me was the level of romance involved and the structuring of the story around that relationship. Tbf, a romance horror novel sounds fabulous to me, and I love this one in concept; and yet as much as I enjoyed these characters I needed way less explanation of their very obvious feelings for each other and at the same time wanted way more of the very intriguing vampires. A single POV might have helped the balance, eliminating repetition while still conveying all of the pertinent information through the characters’ interactions and dialogue. Even so, the dual perspectives only slowed the read a bit for me rather than detracting from any of the other elements the book does handle well. I wish I could say more about the excellent commentary around the vampires, but don’t want to give away too much about how they fit into this tale. You’ll have to read for yourself to see!
“They were not a mirage, not a shard of terror that slipped from unconscious memory into daylight among the horror of the battlefield. / They were real.”
My reaction: 3 out of 5 stars. I will continue to pick up anything Cañas publishes, her ideas are fantastic and the writing skill is definitely there. I think the main reason The Hacienda worked better for me is that the romance is still there, but one of that pair is a kindly priest and so the relationship is forbidden; more understated angst, less in-your-face wish-fulfilment is a better vibe for me, though I think readers more into traditional romance will like Vampires better!
The Woman in the Window by A. J. Finn is old news at this point; I borrowed it years ago in an effort to resist buying a copy out of morbid curiosity, and the news of a new A.J. Finn novel on the horizon *finally* led me to pick this one up. Though sadly, it didn’t help me determine whether to read more from the author!
This is the tale of an agoraphobic woman who, due to a trauma in her past, no longer feels safe leaving her house. She begins spying on her neighbors out of a sort of social curiosity, and in this way witnesses what appears to be the murder of a woman who’s just moved onto the street with her family. Our MC’s drinking and medicating habits, along with the fact that no evidence of a crime can be found, mean that her police report of the murder is not believed. She begins to seek answers of her own, while also doubting whether she can trust her own memories and inferences.
In all fairness, I’m not sure the unreliable woman mixing copious amounts of drugs and alcohol was ever going to work for me again after The Girl on the Train, and I did take a long time getting around to The Woman in the Window, neither of which factors are the fault of this book. Beyond that, the The Woman in the Window just felt a bit long and tame; I thought it did a decent job of handling the MC’s trauma and response, though those feel like little more than plot devices here. I was also a bit disappointed to have expected a thriller and found more of a mystery. An adequate mystery, but very low in tension until the final confrontation scene. Ultimately I think the hype around this one was The Woman in the Window’s worst enemy; it may not be the pinnacle of suspense, but is reasonably entertaining if you’re drawn to the premise. If it’s a jaw-dropping read you’re looking for though, check out the New Yorker article on A.J. Finn that came out around the time of this novel, that still has me shook.
“I move forward, just a small step, but everyone else retreats, as though I’m an approaching storm, as though I’m a predator. Good.”
My reaction: 3 out of 5 stars. I also watched the film adaptation and the parody mini-series with my mom after reading this book (I borrowed it from her) and we were not particularly impressed by any of them but enjoyed the experience overall. A reasonably fun, silly little adventure, and to Finn’s credit the story was very readable and easy to follow even without feeling particularly invested.
Daisy Darker by Alice Feeney was my first time trying this author’s work and most likely my last. I always want to love closed-room mysteries, and popular authors seem like a safe bet, but this one grated. I was lucky to have borrowed this one from a friend, though sad I didn’t get on with it as well as she did.
In this story, a family matriarch who owns a grand seaside house invites her children and grandchildren to a will-reading dinner, as she expects to die within the year. In fact she dies sooner than expected, and the family realizes as a storm rolls in and they’re unable to leave the property until the tide changes in the morning that there’s a murderer in their midst. As they gather to keep track of each other through the night, family members continue to die off one per hour. The killer is also leaving old family VHS tapes for the survivors to watch and remember their troubled history together which, along with the dwindling suspect pool, eventually points to the truth.
It’s possible that the aggravating writing here is intentional, as the main character is an antagonistic, self-absorbed young person and it would make sense for the writing to reflect that. However, young and unlikeable characters can be written in ways that keep the read engaging and fun, rather than overly simplistic. Characterization is done through broad generalizations and assumptions of what people are like (or should be like) rather than through plot or actions or dialogue; the setup and execution are timed and theatrical in ways that defy belief; everyone is toxic and unpleasant and caricature-like to the point where it’s hard to care who’s dying or why. If it’s ever hard to guess what’s going on, it’s because the answers are so obvious that the clues seem like red herrings. It feels lazy. It feels, unfortunately, like a decent story idea that just hasn’t been honed to the level of sharpness needed to land effectively.
“The unexplored oceans of our hearts and minds are normally the result of a lack of time and trust in the dreams we dreamed as children. But adults forget how to believe that their dreams might still come true.”
My reaction: 2 out of 5 stars. For me, a two-star generally means I was able to finish but really did not enjoy myself or feel I was getting much of anything worthwhile out of the read. And yet, there’s nothing egregiously wrong with the book despite it not being to my taste; while a 1-star is something I feel is actively harmful and I would advise readers away from, a two-star read, however much I might dislike it personally, I can still see other readers with different tastes being able to enjoy, and I hope those readers will find this book. My best guess for Daisy Darker would be maybe young readers looking to branch out of YA into more adult themes with easy-to-understand writing, the sorts of young readers who reach for Stephen King perhaps?
Revival by Stephen King was the next step on my journey toward reading all of King’s work (I will explain this in more depth and do something fun with it someday, but for now I’m just trudging on when the mood strikes).
This is the story of a man’s life, from his early 1960s childhood through the 2010s. Throughout this period, his path crosses thrice with that of a young reverend who arrives in town in the 60s, meets with tragedy, and follows a passion for electricity down an unexpected and dangerous path as a sort of alternative career.
There are three key elements to this book that work in concert to make it what it is; two I enjoyed, and one I did not. The element I didn’t enjoy was the MC’s career as a musician; he begins as a rhythm guitarist in the 70s, plays for several bands over the years and achieves reasonable fame, falls victim to the alcohol/drug/party scene and eventually goes on to work at a recording studio when he feels his rockstar youth is behind him. It’s a tired trajectory that glorifies this sort of toxic fame rather than digging into any of the negatives as other modern works manage better (Daisy Jones being the most obvious, though The Dirt covering Motley Crue is an especially ingenious member of this category imo, as it manages both to feel like it caters to the band members’ biased perspectives while also conveying a distinctly critical tone to the discerning reader). I was disappointed but willing to follow along without complaint until a line where the aging musician thinks about a much younger woman he’s sleeping with and says, “If it’s ridiculous for a man in his fifties to be playing bedroom games with a woman young enough to be his daughter, it’s just as ridiculous for him to be playing a Strat and high-stepping to ‘Dirty Water.’” I’m sorry, but there is nothing sensical about the implications that those two behaviors should have anything at all to do with each other, and if for any reason age should apply there, I’d be much less concerned about an older man performing on stage than sleeping around with someone he’s thinking about that way.
But there were two elements I got on with a lot better, equally entwined in Revival‘s plot: religion, and electricity. This is where the horror comes in. The main conflict arrives early in the book, as the young reverend experiences a devastating tragedy and can’t cope. His faith in God is replaced by a passion for electricity and a belief that there is a “secret electricity” that he can learn to tap into, a current which holds the keys to unlocking the barrier between life and death; after losing his job the reverend takes his preaching to the road, making a quick buck off of religious-revival-style magical electrical shows the same way he used to sell God to believers in his sermons. “I shook my head, smiling. ‘You went from preaching to huckstering.’” Even the reverend has to acknowledge that maybe there isn’t much of a difference between the two. There’s some real criticism of organized religion in this book that I highly enjoyed and appreciated, and it’s handled in a skillful way in which believers can read it as blasphemy coming from an evil character, or nonbelievers can read as reason to trust the villain’s intelligence, both options potentially adding to the horror of the situation for their respective audiences. The horror itself is on-brand for King, though ultimately there are other books from his oeuvre I’d recommend above this one.
“Some of these various sects and denominations are peaceful, but the largest of them- the most successful of them- have been built on the blood, bones, and screams of those who have the effrontery now to bow to their idea of God. The Romans fed Christians to the lions; the Christians dismembered those they deemed to be heretics or sorcerers or witches; Hitler sacrificed the Jews in their millions to the false god of racial purity. Millions have been burned, shot, hung, racked, poisoned, electrocuted, and torn to pieces by dogs… all in God’s name.”
My reaction: 3 out of 5 stars. This was pretty middle-of-the-road King fare for me that I probably wouldn’t recommend beyond established King fans who are looking for decent offerings after exhausting his popular classics, with the exception perhaps of anyone drawn to the musical/70s nostalgia portion of the premise.
The Trial of Lizzie Borden by Cara Robertson is a non-fiction journalistic history book following, as suggested, the trial of Lizzie Borden. In 1890s Fall River, Massachusetts, Borden was accused and tried for the horrific murder (by axe) of her parents.
This is a great informative book for someone like me who’s heard references to Borden and her potential criminality for years but missed some of the context. It’s a thorough assembly of details from the trial, including evidence considered, arguments made, notes on everyone in attendance, and some background information on Borden, her family, their standing in town, and the aftermath. Robertson does not attempt to “get inside” of Borden’s head or try to convince the reader of anything beyond the collected facts; she simply lays out the evidence without passing on any assumptions and does not try to sway the reader’s verdict. Borden’s guilt/innocence is a topic most who’ve heard the story have some sort of personal opinion on; despite a verdict being given at the end of her trial it remains (as it was at the time), a popular and divisive case.
“Joe Howard was harsher in his assessment of the police: ‘Of course he was certain about it; they all are. There hasn’t been an officer on the stand who has not been absolutely confident, nor has there been one who has not been flatly contradicted by one of his associates.’”
Perhaps what’s most interesting here is the fact that there hasn’t been concrete evidence of Borden’s guilt or innocence, then or now. Murder weapons were hypothesized but never entirely confirmed or ruled out, no one saw Borden commit the crimes nor did anyone see another person enter the house. The case against her largely boils down to the fact that no other suspect can be produced, while the case for her boils down to the lack of evidence on her person or in the house of having committed multiple murders. There are a few interesting “gotcha” reveals during the trial, and it’s also interesting to see what a US trial looked like during this time period, so I found it an engaging read all the way through, if a bit dry.
My reaction: 3 out of 5 stars. A murder mystery for the ages. Glad I picked this one up, and I would recommend Agatha Christie fans look into this one, if you don’t mind having to fill in the blanks to reach your own conclusions!
The Waste Lands by Stephen King is the third book in King’s Dark Tower fantasy series, which I am slowly buddy reading with a friend. Fortunately, each volume has worked a little better for me than the last.
In this book, our MC (Roland) and crew have left the beach where they met in the previous volume and begin here by spending some time recuperating at their leisure in a pleasant valley. Of course that doesn’t last; a new monster (surprisingly mechanical in nature this time) appears, and their route forward is found; they will follow the Beam toward the Tower. Along this journey they encounter some dying relics from Roland’s world, including a small, suspicious township and a large, warring city in its final stages of decay. In order to escape certain doom as the city destructs, they must befriend a sentient, diabolical train who enjoys riddles.
This series is still a little too episodic for my taste, though the episodes themselves are becoming somewhat more interesting. The dregs of civilization left in the dying town and city here are particularly helpful in gaining some much-needed context for this world at last, though we’re still left with many questions, which is becoming a point of frustration for me this far into the series despite my quest for answers also being the key driving force in continuing the read, so- I have mixed feelings. I found the plethora of riddles a bit tiresome in this volume, and the increasing level of coincidence in how our heroes discover things and escape certain death are starting to strain my ability to suspend disbelief. I don’t like seeing the author’s hand when reading. But overall I had a lot less to complain about this time around than with the previous books, so there’s that.
“He knew instinctively, without even thinking about it, that this tunnel (which had to be at least seventy feet under Lud) also followed the path of the Beam. And somewhere up ahead- Jake was sure of this, although he couldn’t have said why- the train they had come looking for lay directly above it.”
My reaction: 3 out of 5 stars. Don’t be fooled by the middling review, this has been my best time with a Dark Tower novel yet lol! Luckily I’m a patient reader and having a fun time dissecting these books with my buddy reader because it’s been a slow journey toward actual enjoyment here. But I’ve also started the fourth volume by now as well (just waiting on my buddy to find time for a 900+ page novel) and it seems the upward trend has a strong chance of continuing. Hopefully in the end it’ll pay off, we’ll see.
Final thoughts: I went in looking for storms, and these books DELIVERED. Every single one of these books featured a storm, often as crucial parts of the narrative. This was the clearest through-line I found with my color tbrs, something every single book of the set had in common without my explicitly seeking that content; some of these covers definitely suggested storms, but The Woman in the Window and The Trial of Lizzie Borden especially surprised me by sticking to that trend even with rather plain-looking covers, no storm clouds in sight. And of course, literal storms are a popular way for fiction writers to convey tension hanging over their characters without specifically stating those factors, so beneath the literal storms ran plenty of emotional turbulence for all of these characters as well. I had a pretty low average rating with this set, but the overall vibe really pulled it all together and kept the experience fun even as individual titles missed the mark. The vibe:
“The clouds beat a steady march west across the sky, their color shifting deeper and deeper as thunder rumbled its threats in the distance. The smell of the storm nipped at their heels; humidity built until it was close to breaking, heavy and rank on their skin as the breath of a predator.” –Vampires of El Norte
Have you read any of these? Any dark and tempestuous books you’d add to the ranks?