Can't Wait Wednesday/Waiting on Wednesday #452: In the Lives of Puppets by T.J. Klune

 

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event that had been hosted by Jill over at Breaking the Spine where we spotlighted upcoming releases we are eagerly anticipating. I'm now linking up with Can't Wait Wednesday hosted over at Wishful Endings.

From the publisher:

In a strange little home built into the branches of a grove of trees, live three robots--fatherly inventor android Giovanni Lawson, a pleasantly sadistic nurse machine, and a small vacuum desperate for love and attention. Victor Lawson, a human, lives there too. They're a family, hidden and safe.

The day Vic salvages and repairs an unfamiliar android labelled "HAP," he learns of a shared dark past between Hap and Gio-a past spent hunting humans.

When Hap unwittingly alerts robots from Gio's former life to their whereabouts, the family is no longer hidden and safe. Gio is captured and taken back to his old laboratory in the City of Electric Dreams. So together, the rest of Vic's assembled family must journey across an unforgiving and otherworldly country to rescue Gio from decommission, or worse, reprogramming.

Along the way to save Gio, amid conflicted feelings of betrayal and affection for Hap, Vic must decide for himself: Can he accept love with strings attached?

In the Lives of Puppets is expected out April 25th, 2023 from Tor Books.

Why am I waiting on this book? I've read two books by T.J. Klune and I've enjoyed them both. I haven't been reading much of what you might call science fiction for a while, but the premise here intrigues me.

What book are you waiting on this week? Share it or a link in the comments so we can check it out and maybe add it to our TBR lists. Thanks for coming by and Happy Reading!

Book Review: The Haunting of Ivy May by Nancy Basile

 

From the publisher:

Renovating a haunted house isn't part of the plan. When Ivy May moved to Mistwick, West Virginia, she was starting over after the divorce from her cockroach of an ex-husband.

Although she's ready to remodel her cozy Victorian fixer-upper, known as Buttercup Cottage, the locals' strange behavior is a mystery and none of the contractors will work with her, except a feisty and fashionable newcomer willing to take a chance on her.

But Ivy's first night in Buttercup Cottage is a nightmare starring the ghost of a wailing woman. Ivy can't shake the feeling that her nightmare was more than just a vision. The reality of living with a terrifying ghost could ruin her dream of a magical midlife re-invention.

The local tea shop owner seems helpful -- too helpful -- but even she seems secretive when she mentions that Ivy has a gift. What gift? A gift for picking loser husbands is the only gift she possesses.

And who is the handsome mystery man hanging around Buttercup Cottage? Is the the one leaving threatening notes in her mailbox? Or is he the partner she's always dreamed of?

Ivy has to face down a ghost, a greedy ex-husband, and a town full of skeptics to make her dream a reality. Otherwise, every penny of her inheritance will be wasted and she'll have to admit she can't make it on her own.

It's not until Ivy realizes she doesn't have to do it alone that her story looks like it might have a happy ending.

The Haunting of Ivy May by Nancy Basile was published January 19th, 2023 by Media Medusa LLC.

My Thoughts:

This is a paranormal mystery. And it was an easy read. Once I started it, I wanted to know what would happen next. It spurred me on to finish it quickly. There is very little romance. The people focus is on building relationships with the townsfolk. The people who live in Mistwick are reluctant to trust her at first thinking she is just there to flip the house.

No one mentions the ghost to Ivy before she sees it for the first time. And it scares the crap out of her. She dedicates herself to finding out what she can do to get rid of it after it appears to her again and others actually see it as well. 

The pace is good. There are some strategic lulls, but they still advance the plot. The parts with the ghost go quickly.

The characters feel nice. I especially liked seeing the relationship between Izzy and Ivy flourish. And I disliked the cockroach of Ivy's ex-husband.

I did find the romance slightly unbelievable. The guy keeps accidentally insulting her and is handsome. Don't want to say more because of spoilers, but it didn't seem like much to build a romance on.

I gave the book 4 out of 5 stars. It's an interesting story and a light read which I really needed after reading the heavier Our Share of Night. If you like light mysteries with a paranormal aspect and a touch of romance, this would be a good book for you.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley. This did not affect my opinions.

Can't Wait Wednesday/Waiting on Wednesday #451: Lone Women by Victor LaValle

 

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event that had been hosted by Jill over at Breaking the Spine where we spotlighted upcoming releases we are eagerly anticipating. I'm now linking up with Can't Wait Wednesday hosted over at Wishful Endings.

From the publisher: Adelaide Henry carries an enormous steamer trunk with her wherever she goes. It’s locked at all times. Because when the trunk opens, people around Adelaide start to disappear.

The year is 1915, and Adelaide is in trouble. Her secret sin killed her parents, forcing her to flee California in a hellfire rush and make her way to Montana as a homesteader. Dragging the trunk with her at every stop, she will become one of the “lone women” taking advantage of the government’s offer of free land for those who can tame it—except that Adelaide isn’t alone. And the secret she’s tried so desperately to lock away might be the only thing that will help her survive the harsh territory.

Crafted by a modern master of magical suspense, Lone Women blends shimmering prose, an unforgettable cast of adventurers who find horror and sisterhood in a brutal landscape, and a portrait of early-twentieth-century America like you’ve never seen. And at its heart is the gripping story of a woman desperate to bury her past—or redeem it.

Lone Women by Victor LaValle is expected out March 28th, 2023 from One World.

Why am I waiting on this book? I like so called weird westerns - westerns that have a fantasy or paranormal element to them. This book seems to fit the bill. Also I've read other books by Victor LaValle and enjoyed them.

What book are you waiting on this week? Share it or a link in the comments so we can check it out and maybe add it to our TBR lists. Thanks for coming by and Happy Reading!

Book Review: Our Share of Night by Mariana Enriquez

 

From the publisher:

A young father and son set out on a road trip, devastated by the death of the wife and mother they both loved. United in grief, the pair travel to her ancestral home, where they must confront the terrifying legacy she has bequeathed: a family called the Order that commits unspeakable acts in search of immortality.

For Gaspar, the son, this maniacal cult is his destiny. As the Order tries to pull him into their evil, he and his father take flight, attempting to outrun a powerful clan that will do anything to ensure its own survival. But how far will Gaspar’s father go to protect his child? And can anyone escape their fate?

Moving back and forth in time, from London in the swinging 1960s to the brutal years of Argentina’s military dictatorship and its turbulent aftermath, Our Share of Night is a novel like no other: a family story, a ghost story, a story of the occult and the supernatural, a book about the complexities of love and longing with queer subplots and themes. This is the masterwork of one of Latin America’s most original novelists, “a mesmerizing writer,” says Dave Eggers, “who demands to be read.”

My thoughts:

I felt sorry for Gaspar. His mother dies when he is very young. His father, while trying to protect him, is also abusive at times. The Order and his grandmother want to use him to try and obtain immortality of consciousness. 

The pace of the book is uneven. It is very slow in parts which gives it a dreamlike or should I say nightmarish quality. 

The book jumps around with different sections focusing on different characters. I liked the parts that focused on Gaspar the best. I was puzzled about the inclusion of a section from a journalist's point of view. The only reason I can think of for it is to point out again the horrors of some of the time period the book is set in.

It is definitely a horrifying story. From the Darkness to the way that Mercedes treats and mistreats others as nothing but tools to serve her, it is an unsettling read. 

The book does deserve trigger warnings for the body horror and the mentions of abuse of all kinds. The horrors of war and the AIDS epidemic could also be triggering for some people. But seriously, this is a horror book. 

I was a little unsatisfied with the ending. I don't want to say more because of spoilers.

Overall, I give this book 4 stars. I liked Gaspar. And even in the slow parts I wanted to know what would happen next and ultimately how things would turn out. If you enjoy your horror with a historical setting mostly in the 80s, in particular Argentina, then this might be a good book for you.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley. This did not influence my opinions.