Rebecca Crunden's Blog, page 44

Book Review: Untouched (2021)

Untouched by Jayme Bean

Paul once told me that it’s ‘inhospitable for anything other than the creatures that exist in the swamps.’

Untouched follows a small group of researchers as they embark into the Amazon rainforest. Things quickly become dangerous for the group when they realise that there’s more to the forest than they ever could have imagined.

“There are pirates, authorities that aren’t too keen on researchers like ourselves, and I’m sure we’ll come across villages who wi...

Book Review: The Cracked Reflection (2021)

The Cracked Reflection by Terry Geo

“Once I’d gotten her to calm down a bit, she told us that her imaginary friend had punched her in the face and called her a bitch.”

Well, if that didn’t immediately give me the wiggins!

Imaginary friends, am I right? \o/

The Cracked Reflection moves along at a swift pace with a cracking dialogue. I do wish we’d had a bit more detail in some places, but as it’s a novella and teasing the larger story of book one, I have a feeling all my quest...

Book Review: To Be Taught, If Fortunate (2019)

To Be Taught, If Fortunate by Becky Chambers

I have no interest in changing other worlds to suit me. I choose the lighter touch: changing myself to suit them.

I got real Lost in Space meets Prometheus vibes from this novella, and I mean that in the best way possible. And oooooh, this story beautifully well written.

I haven’t read Becky Chambers before, although I’ve heard nothing but good things about A Closed and Common Orbit and the others in that series, but I haven’t had a chanc...

Book Review: Tales of Solomon Pace (2014)

Tales of Solomon Pace by Alan Scott

‘You forgot who you were talking to. I am Solomon Pace and I heal fast. I am Solomon Pace and my mind is mine to control.’

I haven’t read the other books in the Storm Series yet, but after listening to Tales of Solomon Pace, I’m going to pick up the other books as soon as I can! [Some of the stories herein take place before some of the other books, so it may help to read Echoes of a Storm, etc, first! That said, I didn’t have trouble settling into th...

Book Review: May Day (2020)

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May Day by Josie Jaffrey

‘I’m Jack Valentine and I am fucking untouchable.’

I read Josie’s vampire book The Gilded King a while back, and really loved it, so I couldn’t wait to dive into this new vampire series. May Day gives me Veronica Mars meets A Discovery of Witches – with a dash of True Blood – vibes.

The book follows Jack Valentine, a tough-talking, expletive-wielding, gin-slinging vampire detective still mourning the loss of her girlfriend years before. She blames one Ki...

Book Review: The Girl in White (2017)

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The Girl in White by Shannon Reber

*SPOILER WARNING*

And the wind turned cold. The world went white. Vengeance would be hers.

Oh my gosh, I was not expecting this novel! Reber weaves a wonderful contemporary mystery with rich characters. This is a book that deffo needs more fanfare!

Right, so The Girl in White follows Madison after her friend Emma has died. She’s grieving and in an all around dark place.

I’d heard that time had a way of healing wounds. I’d never found that...

Short Story Review: customer service (2019)

customer service by C. Vandyke

And, mathematically speaking, nothing less than one-hundred percent was perfect. With its Decision Trees, Fuzzy Logic, and CRMs, the neural network could crunch-data and analyze trends to perfection, but there was still one variable that even its AI could not completely solve for: taste.

What a great line.

I read C. Vandyke’s customer service, which is made up of two short stories! There was ‘Customer satisfaction’ and ‘The Ones Who Walk Away From Amaz...

Poetry Review Roundup

Of Darkness and Light by Despoina Kemeridou

In rivers of hatred,
and oceans of lust,
I’ll roam forever,
until I am dust

Some really good poems in here! This was my first time reading Kemeridou’s poems, and I will definitely check out more by this author! Great stuff.

The Beauty of Words by Gary Pollard

We shouldn’t need to request
To be free.
But some leaders
Simply would disagree.

I stumbled across this little book of poetry completely by random, but I’m so glad I snagged a copy! ...

Book Review: Into the Dark (2021)

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Into The Dark: Book One of the Infinite Crossover Crisis by Robert Hookey

Despite what you are about to read, I am not the hero of this tale.

Into the Dark is like if you mixed Suicide Squad with Good Omens, and added a dash of The Boys. And it’s so. freaking. funny.

Luckily, my best friends included Taurus the vampire, Scorpio the master strategist, a rock ’n roll apparition known to everyone (but Mama Shaw), as Rockin’, and a cast of characters that make the Suicide Squad look lik...

Book Review: The Murder Next Door (2021)

The Murder Next Door by Sarah Bell

sapphic. mystery. 1912.

I don’t read a lot of historical mysteries (Agatha Christie would not be impressed), but the description was just so intriguing and I’m on a costume drama roll~ television wise at the minute. (Cable Girls, yo! More historical lgbt+ awesomeness!)

Right, so The Murder Next Door follows Louisa and Ada throughout 1912 as they try to solve the mystery of, yanno, the murder next door!

Bell’s writing and attention to detail ...