The past two weeks have once again been super busy! I have finished reading a handful of books and ARCs, which I don’t realize how many it’s been until I see them written down.

Reading

I did finish The Haunting of Hill House almost two weeks ago, and I guess I was on the right track of understanding the story. Eleanor was indeed crazy, which now makes sense why a lot of the dialogue between her and the other characters didn’t flow. I wouldn’t say it was scary in the horror sense, but more classical suspenseful. I didn’t mind Eleanor’s character at first, only because I didn’t realize she had some mental things going on. I had thought she was sweet, until she was thinking more and more rude thoughts and feelings towards the others. I enjoyed Theo’s character in the sense of an older sister, and how she helped Eleanor fit in. Dr. Montague I found interesting, with his fascination with the supernatural and his pleasant personality. I felt indifferent to Luke Sanderson, whose family owned the house. Unfortunately (or maybe fortunately) I did watch the TV show years ago, and remember it was such a good horror story so I expected that same feeling from the book.

I had gotten the ARC Teach Me to Prey a bit ago with an automatic approval on Netgalley, so I wanted to complete my read of it in order of the ARCs that I obtained (because I have a handful and I want to give each story its own chance). I thought the summary sounded interesting, with Tara collecting hearts of a lover every eclipse to give to Thorn, her demon. I feel like that is as interesting as it got. Rian, another MMC is looking for his girlfriend’s killer who he deems Jack of Hearts. He doesn’t realize Tara is actually Jack of Hearts, thinking her involvement extends to just another victim’s loved one. I really didn’t like Rian, and liked more of Tara and Thorn’s interactions more than her and Rian’s. The writing was a little bit weak and confusing at times, but by the end I was happy to wrap up the story with how drawn out it was. Thankfully the last quarter of the book flew by.

I had wanted to start reading Anathema because I had enjoyed Keri Lake’s other book, Nocticadia, and had preordered the sprayed edge edition of Eldritch. Luckily, I had also got the audiobook on Libby, so it was time to pick it up! I was a bit intimidated with how big the book was, but with the audiobook I don’t think I even noticed how fast I flew by in this book. I loved Maevyth’s character, and even though the town has shunned her due to her being abandoned at the woods, she still tries her best to remain positive and get things accomplished. Her and Aleysia’s relationship, even if they aren’t fully blood, was heartwarming, and I wanted so badly for them to reconnect at the end. Zevander’s character was fueled by his voice actor in the audiobook, James Cassidy, and I am so excited to see how his and Maevyth’s love grows. I think the audiobook gave the story more Beauty and the Beast-vibes, which I didn’t hate at all! I love how soft Maevyth’s voice is compared to how rough Zevander’s is, and I can’t wait to start the second book! This was such a good October read!

I am currently reading The Stitch Witches, another ARC. This was actually my first approved ARC, which is super exciting to me! I am also extremely happy because this book has been on my TBR, and the fact that it is another perfect Halloween book! It is a shorter read, so I am already at 62%, but I am really enjoying it (although I feel like I typically enjoy Puritan/Salem/New England inspired stories).

For my book club, we actually landed on my recommendation, Carrie! I have never read the book before, and Amazon was just releasing (and now released) the tv show produced by Mike Flanagan! I have the audiobook on Libby as well, and plan on listening while I read to add to the story. I did finish the tv show last week, and for the majority of it I did enjoy, but I will write about it separately. I haven’t started it yet, but one I finish the book, I want to go back and watch the original movie and compare!