moiralyle's reviews
221 reviews

Feito’s Victorian Psycho follows Winnifred Notty, a governess that isn’t quite like everyone else. When we meet Winnifred, we can tell right away that she isn’t quite right - a feeling reinforced by her unsettling first person narration. I liked being inside Winnifred’s mind throughout this book and seeing the world through her twisted perspective. However, moments of the book felt disjointed in ways that didn’t seem like an intentional show of Winnifred’s mental state. I would’ve preferred to get more of Winnifred, but I loved what we got in this short novel. 

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC!

I have yet to meet a Janice Hallett book that I was able to put down before finishing it and I'm so glad that The Examiner continued that trend. Full of Hallett's usual dry wit and a mystery that I can never guess the extent of until the end, The Examiner is yet another jewel in her "Queen of Mystery" crown. This mystery follows an MFA class that the teacher is desperately trying to get off the ground with 6 handpicked and varied students that seem to not quite fit the brief of the program. As the students are thrown into close proximity in the studio and required to work as a team on a stressful project, tensions rise and someone (maybe) disappears. Told through Hallett's usual medium of emails, texts, and group messages the story takes turn after turn as we uncover the snares of relationships and motivations that our seven main characters attempt to keep hidden and the titular external examiners attempt to bring to the light. 

Overall, this book was a twisty and humorous joy with deep character lines and enough intrigue to keep this book in my hands and my butt in a seat for 5 hours straight until I finished. I cannot recommend it enough and cannot thank NetGalley enough for providing me with the ARC!

BRZRKR: Bloodlines is the fantastical John Wick I never knew I needed. Volume One follows Unute the Berserker through 2 different periods in his life full of emotion, betrayal, and (of course) bloodshed. On its face, BRZRKR: Bloodlines is a fun romp through blood-spattered artwork with the world's favorite boogeyman surviving anything thrown at him. However, the joy I found in this comic was in the places where we got to see the depths of Unute's character that I'm excited to explore in future volumes. The other highlight of BRZRKR: Bloodlines was the phenomenal artwork. I found myself mesmerized by the color palettes, the stylized drawing, and the layout that really sucks the reader into the story in a way I've seen many graphic novels miss.

The only thing that kept this volume from 5 stars for me was the disconnect between the two vignettes. While both stories shared similar themes and were equally interesting to explore, I craved a stronger narrative between them than the storyline allowed for.