Book Review: Nothing But Blackened Teeth

Nothing But Blackened Teeth 
by Cassandra Khaw
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

So disappointing. Not near enough character development. I didn’t care if our teens lived or died. The creatures themselves were well described (and the author cannot take credit for them as they are existing Japanese myth/legend/monster) but their actions quite boring overall.

Characters
Sadly Nothing But Blackened Teeth really missed the mark for me. At only 90 pages this is much too short for what was trying to be conveyed. Our characters are not only really irritating but barely archetypes of your typical ditzy blonde, smart one, buff one, etc. I actually thought of the movie Cabin in the Woods and wondered if the writer had stolen Joss Whedon's archetypes! Additionally the characters are sooo annoying. Their complex love triangle, square, whatever it was almost made them interesting but then having no real details about the relationships or why they ended/began I felt like I was supposed to give them attributes and traits from their bad dialogue that I just couldn't justify.

Creatures
The actual plot and narrative aren't bad here. They need some development and thought added but overall this could be a good story. The use of the iconic Japanese monsters is clever; and makes the author appear to be more creative than she actually is if you are not familiar with these creatures of myth and lore. For many long time fantasy/horror fans you've probably encountered creatures like this, or similar over the years. I mean one even has a Pokémon modelled after it! So if you feel like the cover is super terrifying and that's what brought you here then know that Cassandra Khaw did not invent this creature. You can read lots more about it, and it's friends, whilst researching ancient myths of Japan.

Overall
Yes I went in with high expectations; but that was because sooo many people were initially saying how great this short novella sized story was. Then we hit publication day and I feel like the reviews started to really reflect the general public's opinion. While there will be some that swear by this book and are a bit scared reading it; I do believe the vast majority of people will get a lukewarm feeling from these characters, monsters, and plot.
By no means do I want to encourage people to immediately grab this one. Honestly it can be skipped entirely unless you really want to know what's involved. At least at just over 100 pages it's not a huge investment of time!

Please note: I received an eARC of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. This is an honest and unbiased review.

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Book Review: The Mad Women's Ball

The Mad Women's Ball 

by Victoria Mas
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

While not as amazing as the reviews make it sound, The Mad Women’s Ball is a decent read. I enjoyed our lead gal and her conversations with ghosts. It would have been nice to feel like I knew a couple other main characters as well as we end up knowing her. Both the nurse and Louise (a ‘hysterical’ woman) are key players but I never truly felt like I knew them with as much depth as I’d have liked.
This is a shorter novel, translated from French. It could actually have been longer (shocking I know, it’s rare to wish a book was longer). I’d have liked more about our characters, their motivations, and experiences prior to being put up at the asylum.
It’s certainly tragic that, back in the day (but assuredly still happening on occasion today), that someone with power could abuse and manipulate a person and then leave them (more or less) for dead at the asylum. The doctors we encounter in The Mad Women’s Ball are historical figures, including Babinski, a famed neuroscientist (thank you Big Bang Theory for teaching me this and not needing to look up a bunch of historical fact. Lol). All our other characters are fictional to my knowledge.

Overall I’d say this will likely make a better movie (which I will watch) than a book. The plot feels very linear and the set-up will lend itself to a well written script. And so, I can’t believe I’m about to say this, maybe wait for the movie to be released?

Please note: I received an eARC from the publisher via NetGalley. This is an honest and unbiased review.

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Book Review: The Conductors

The Conductors 

by Nicole Glover
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Really well written for a debut novel. Let's jump right into the details today:

Characters
Our characters are adults whom are in committed relationships. No weird love triangles, first time love, or overdone romance. It's so rare to have a married couple (whom we didn't see meet one another at first) be the focus of a first book in a series. I love how their relationship grows and changes over the course of the book. As someone in a relationship of 13+ years their interactions, nuances, and treatment of one another felt very genuine. It's relaxed, but caring; and very understanding at the end of the day, much like my own. This gave it a nice real feeling which is something I always appreciate given how many over-the-top and ridiculous love stories there are out there.

Magical Systems
The two magic systems in The Conductors are unique and interesting (although I wish we had learned more about how they work). I loved the use of the constellations as our characters 'good' magic (if you will). I do wish I understood more about the sorcery or 'bad' magic as I am still not quite certain what makes it less desirable or why it lends itself to evil. Regardless, it didn't take away from the overall story, nor did it seem a big deal to not have this context. I just like knowing the intricacies of how an author has imagined complex magical systems and uses.

The Setting
Set shortly after the USA abolished slavery The Conductors is interesting as it demonstrates how unfair the country continued to be. Without a doubt (look at today to see proof) the sudden freedom people experienced did not necessarily improve their lives. Although it gave them a fighting chance; as we all know, change is much, much slower to truly come around. And I would think it clear that the world has still not achieved equality between races, cultures, religions, etc. Sad as that may be.
I was intrigued to see how scattered so many families and friends were at that time. This is something I had not really thought about very much before. The idea that you could be married to someone and your 'owner' sells them off to someone else is not only heartbreaking but unduly cruel. No person should be a commodity to be benefited from as someone else sees fit.

The Underground Railroad
I loved the snippets and little stories told of the Underground Railroad. I actually wish the whole book was written about our two main characters and their time as Conductors! With any luck more of these events are also told in past tense in book 2 of this series. This is a great introduction to what was being done, and the risks people took to save themselves and others around them. However I would say that Nicole Glover barely scratches the surface of what she could likely write about when it comes to the Conductors and their challenges, successes, and failures as they led people to freedom.

The Plot
The murder mystery was intriguing enough. I'm not really into murder mysteries; so I was far more engaged by the relationships, people, setting, and magical infusion in the novel. Ironically the plot of the story is the murders and their mystery; and yet it’s the part I cared about the least. It comes together fine, I was neither blind-sided, nor did the ending feel cheap; so for me that is a positive (if not resounding) approval of the main story.

Overall
I would definitely recommend this as a great (fun at times) read. If you are looking for details about the function of the Underground Railroad, it's Conductors, or in-depth look at the circumstances of the slaves I would say this is not really for you. Certainly the abolition of slavery is important here; but I didn't feel like I learned anything new or gained any greater introspective from what I had prior to reading The Conductors. All that said I quite enjoyed this book and will certainly check out the second one; and anything future Nicole Glover reads.

Please note: I received an eARC of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. This is an honest and unbiased review.

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