Cannonball Read 17

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time
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Creatures In The Mist

Starling House by Alix E. Harrow

February 2, 2024 by finnyfinfinn Leave a Comment

All the creepy existential dread your gothic little heart could desire. Opal is scratching out a meager existence in Eden, Kentucky- a small town plagued by more than its fair share of bad luck. With no remorse she will lie, cheat, and steal in service of a better life for her younger brother out of this miserable place. Opal is offered a surprisingly well paid job as housekeeper at Starling House. She knows she shouldn’t take the job, she knows there’s something wrong with the […]

Filed Under: Fantasy, Fiction Tagged With: #fantasy, alix e harrow, gothic, horror

finnyfinfinn's CBR16 Review No:4 · Genres: Fantasy, Fiction · Tags: #fantasy, alix e harrow, gothic, horror ·
· 0 Comments

“A romance is a belief in the impossible: that anything ends happily.”

A Study in Drowning by Ava Reid

December 22, 2023 by narfna Leave a Comment

This was really good but I can’t give it a full five stars for one reason. More on that reason below. But first! I enjoyed this so much! I said this in a status update while reading, but it was such a relief to have a YA book tackle what this book is trying to tackle* and have it SUCCEED instead of falling down on its face. Ava Reid, like her or not, is really talented. There are of course going to be people that […]

Filed Under: Fantasy, Romance, Speculative Fiction, Young Adult Tagged With: #fantasy, A Study in Drowning, Ava Reid, dark academia, fairies, gothic, narfna, YA, ya fantasy, Young Adult

narfna's CBR15 Review No:152 · Genres: Fantasy, Romance, Speculative Fiction, Young Adult · Tags: #fantasy, A Study in Drowning, Ava Reid, dark academia, fairies, gothic, narfna, YA, ya fantasy, Young Adult ·
Rating:
· 0 Comments

“Everything begins and ends at exactly the right time and place.”

Picnic at Hanging Rock by Joan Lindsay

December 12, 2023 by Pooja Leave a Comment

On St. Valentine’s Day in 1900, three Australian schoolgirls and their teacher vanish while on a school outing at Hanging Rock. Though they have disappeared from view like a rock dropped into water, the consequences of what happened will ripple outward until they touch the stories of even those who had been on the periphery of their lives. I’ve had my eye on the book for a few months now, so when I opened my Cannonball Book Exchange package from ElCiccio to find she’d send […]

Filed Under: Featured, Fiction Tagged With: Australia, classics, gothic, historical, horror, Joan Lindsay, mystery, Victorian

Pooja's CBR15 Review No:92 · Genres: Featured, Fiction · Tags: Australia, classics, gothic, historical, horror, Joan Lindsay, mystery, Victorian ·
Rating:
· 0 Comments

“You want to know if I’m as evil as everyone says I am. The answer is no. And yes.”

The Only One Left by Riley Sager

October 31, 2023 by cheerbrarian Leave a Comment

CBR Bingo – History I don’t read a lot of horror but I do enjoy it from time to time; however, I’m jumpy by nature so I’ve got to be careful with what I read lest I freak myself out and make it even easier for my teen to achieve a satisfying jump scare. I wanted something good and juicy for October so asked friends who are big scary book fiends and they DELIVERED. This is my first Sager but likely not my last as […]

Filed Under: Horror, Mystery Tagged With: cbr15bingo, gothic, Riley Sager, the only one left, thriller

cheerbrarian's CBR15 Review No:36 · Genres: Horror, Mystery · Tags: cbr15bingo, gothic, Riley Sager, the only one left, thriller ·
Rating:
· 0 Comments

“So this is merely romance,” she frowned disapprovingly. “I was hoping for an epic adventure, or a gothic mystery at the very least.” Ned laughed. “Darling, don’t worry, the story has just begun.”

The Wisteria Society of Lady Scoundrels by India Holton

October 8, 2023 by Malin Leave a Comment

Official book description, because I finished this book two months ago, and the plot is rather convoluted: Cecilia Bassingwaite is the ideal Victorian lady. She’s also a thief. Like the other members of the Wisteria Society crime sorority, she flies around England drinking tea, blackmailing friends, and acquiring treasure by interesting means. Sure, she has a dark and traumatic past and an overbearing aunt, but all things considered, it’s a pleasant existence. Until the men show up. Ned Lightbourne is a sometimes assassin who is […]

Filed Under: Fantasy, Fiction, History, Mystery, Romance Tagged With: adventure, alternate history, CBR15, Dangerous Damsels, funny, gothic, historical fiction, India Holton, magic, Malin, paranormal romance, pirates, the Wisteria Society of Lady Scoundrels, thieves, Victorian

Malin's CBR15 Review No:53 · Genres: Fantasy, Fiction, History, Mystery, Romance · Tags: adventure, alternate history, CBR15, Dangerous Damsels, funny, gothic, historical fiction, India Holton, magic, Malin, paranormal romance, pirates, the Wisteria Society of Lady Scoundrels, thieves, Victorian ·
Rating:
· 0 Comments

Nah.

The Cloisters by Katy Hays

July 10, 2023 by narfna 3 Comments

What it comes down to is that I found this book extremely unpleasant. And also dull. And reading it made me feel like I would rather be banging my head against something very solid. This was made even more frustrating by glimmers of stuff I probably would have found very intriguing in another author’s hands, or in another type of story altogether. The Cloisters is about a woman whose name I have long forgotten who is heading to her first post-graduate job, supposedly at the […]

Filed Under: Mystery, Speculative Fiction Tagged With: dark academia, gothic, Katy Hays, mystery, narfna, speculative, Tarot, The Cloisters

narfna's CBR15 Review No:71 · Genres: Mystery, Speculative Fiction · Tags: dark academia, gothic, Katy Hays, mystery, narfna, speculative, Tarot, The Cloisters ·
Rating:
· 3 Comments
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