We Sold Our Souls by Grady Hendrix
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
This is the book that Queen of the Damned should have been. We Sold Our Souls is engaging, exciting, bloody, romantic and musical all at once. I absolutely loved it and cannot wait for my husband (a big music fan and horror buff) to read it as I think he will also adore this story. For sure I will be purchasing a paperback copy to add to our library and strategically leave on his side table to read.
The only 'problem' I could really find with Grady Hendrix's story is that I want the fictional band(s) to exist so bad!
Music
It's rare that someone can write a story in which you can hear the music they are describing. I don't know if it's because the lyrics are prevalent throughout the story, or that our characters describe the feeling of being lost in the heavy metal music so well; either way it's like We Sold Our Souls is belting out a metal lyric from its static pages. I could see musical geniuses like Corey Taylor (Slipknot, Stone Sour), Jonathan Davis (Korn) or Tobias Forge (Ghost) being perfect to write the music to go with the lyrics. It would also be ironic as both Taylor and Davis are in bands that are mocked in the book as not being 'metal enough'.
Music Snobbery
Which brings me to the one thing that might bug some readers, music snobbery. If you are not a big music fan you might not really understand the elitist attitude that our (primary) lead gal has (a member of the main fictional band). In the music industry, especially in metal and punk, there are things you just don't do or compromise on (generally with a record label). These are what will get you labelled a 'sell-out'. That said, as someone who knows a fair bit about the music industry, the reality is that generally well known and successful bands in these genres are mocked because everyone is jealous of their massive success. Like it or not when we are being snobby it's usually because we desire something someone else has that we wish we did or are trying to justify why we haven't made it big. I believe that is exactly what is happening to our lead gal here. So take the snobbery with a grain of salt and you'll coast past this issue.
Genre all it's own
If there was a genre that encompassed music, horror and fantasy all together then We Sold Our Souls would be at the forefront of it. It's so hard to say where this book should sit in a library or bookstore. It has magic, bloody killings, musical influence (including as many fictional bands as real ones mentioned) and an overall atmosphere that bleeds dread. It could be called a thriller. I could even see some calling it an inspirational story about doing what you know is right. Seriously it just has so much rolled into it.
Premise Seems Silly?
When you read the blurb to Hendrix's novel you might think to yourself that it sounds cheesy. It's true that at times it comes off that way. But I dare anyone not to get sucked into the reality presented in We Sold Our Souls. Once you accept things for what they are; I guarantee you will be unable to put this book down. It's one of the fastest reads I have had this year to date; and yet I wanted it to never end.
Characters, Plot, Symbolism, etc.
I could probably write a whole term paper or thesis about all the meanings and symbolism in We Sold Our Souls. It's got a depth you just wouldn't expect from a horror story about musicians. I love how the lyrics of the songs are intertwined with the events of the book and feelings of our characters. At times, especially in the lyrics of the songs, Hendrix really spoke to my Pagan soul. (side note: it amuses me that the author's last name is Hendrix and they wrote a book with a musician lead. I wish one of the characters was named Jimi, even if only a minor one, lol).
Overall
If you love metal music, read this. If you love horror, read this. If you love reading the personal journey of a character to 'find themselves', read this. Like a lot of music is, this is a look into the soul of selfish, snobby musicians and the ultimate price they (seemingly inevitably pay) to be successful.
But seriously, can someone please make this into a movie and create the fictional band's music?
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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The Parting Glass by Gina Marie Guadagnino
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
I'm surprised that more people don't put this into the Romance genre. Surely it's Historical, taking place in the early 1900's in New York City (think Gangs of New York movie timeline and you're perfectly in its place); but it's got some steamy lesbian moments and the majority of the story revolves around our characters having infatuations with one another.
Lesbians!
Easily the best part of The Parting Glass is the lesbian representation. It's honest and sincere. Gina Marie Guadagnino has also given us a lens into how impossible it was to be gay in the 1900's. If we all think it's hard today; we've got nothing on our ancestors. From a couple steamy lesbian scenes, to stolen kisses and forbidden thoughts Guadagnino doesn't leave anything unsaid or uncontested for our lead gal about how difficult life is being Irish, an immigrant and a lesbian.
Historical Context
It's clear that Guadagnino has done some research in order to understand the time period, it's societal challenges and linguistics. There is a moment in which our gal passes through Five Points and I couldn't help but imagine her walking next to Leonardo DiCaprio in Gangs of New York. We encounter the Irish struggles from two viewpoints in a way; even though the story is only told through the eyes of our lead gal. As a ladies maid whom can hide her Irish accent we see how high society feels and reacts; and on her nights off we see how an Irish gal might struggle to get by in this rough landscape. I felt the descriptions and context given to New York at this time were well done. However, I can't help but wonder how much of that is because I've seen Gangs of New York many, many times.
Overall
There were lots of things to love here from casual mentions of the penny dreadfuls (stories of horror in the day) to descriptive clothing styles to the challenges of horse drawn transportation and more. But I must say that without the lesbian representation I think I would have become bored. Maybe a good forbidden romance (regardless of sexual orientation) would have worked here no matter what; but for me I felt like I just wanted to know about our lovely girls and their destiny's.
Not a bad read; but not one I'd be quick to recommend. The Parting Glass gets 4 stars because of its LGBTQ+ representation where it otherwise probably deserves 3 stars.
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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Blind the Eyes by K.A. Wiggins
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Blind the Eyes is a very unique book and one that requires a lot of patience. I was quite confused throughout the entire book up until the last 75% or so. There are many odd things happening to our lead gal and it's difficult to determine what is actually happened, what might just be her perception or imagination. It's the problem (and yet fun) of an unreliable narrator.
Plot
Like I said above don't expect to really follow along with much. What you will know quickly is that there is a gal and she is trying to figure out how to function under the regime of a dystopian society. It is not nearly as clear-cut as she wants it to be. There are people 'helping' her; yet she is never sure who is helping and who is tricking her. Hence as the reader we are never sure who or what is happening.
Imagery
K.A. Wiggins has done a good job of creating imagery that allows us to perceive the world the same way our lead gal does. As Blind the Eyes is written in first person we only get as much information as our lead gal is able to provide. If she can't see then we can't see. If she's confused then so are we (which is a lot of the time!). What we do get descriptions of are the smells, touch feelings and visuals of what our heroine experiences. It kind of reminded of being in a bit of a drug fog. From lost time to being uncertain on who is even speaking there is a trippy confusion throughout.
The Ending
It's very rare I stick with a book this convoluted until the end. In the case of Blind the Eyes I really wanted to know what was happening. Almost every chapter I had a different theory of what was transpiring. From wondering if our gal had a major mental illness to her being drugged 24/7 to her being unable to interpret her surrounds (maybe like someone autistic...) to magical powers to some sort of telepathy or telekinesis to her just being unable to perceive the world and then all the way back to the first theory I had which was that our lead gal was just being lied to by those in power.
I'm obviously not going to tell you what, if any of my guesses above, are correct. What I will say is that it makes perfect sense at the end. One of my personal pet peeves with books are convenient or illogical endings. Blind the Eyes had neither of these and I felt very rewarded when I flipped the last page.
Overall
This is not an easy book. But it is quite clever. I think if I were to read it again I would pick-up on many of the things that weren't clear to me on first read. If there are small inconsistencies then my mind overlooked them out of desire to plow forward and find out what on earth was going on!
After I finished Blind the Eyes I realized that Wiggins has written her story in the way that I wish Carnaval (which I hated) was put together. Sometimes it's appropriate for the reader to drift lost for awhile. So long as the hook is good enough to keep them reading it's okay. I nearly gave up twice and for that reason I give this four stars instead of five. That said, bring on book two ASAP please!
Please note: I received an eARC of this book from the publisher via NetGalley and Voracious Readers. This is an honest and unbiased review.
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