Reviews in a Minute: September, Part One

My first batch of September books!

It Looks Like Us by Alison Ames
I’m the Girl by Courtney Summers
The Gathering Dark: An Anthology of Folk Horror edited by Tori Bovalino
Monsters Born and Made by Tanvi Berwah

Wishtress by Nadine Brandes
Full Immersion by Gemma Amor


Reviews in a Minute: September, Part One It Looks Like Us by Alison Ames
Published by Page Street Kids on September 27, 2022
Pages: 288
Format:ARC
Source:Copy provided by publisher for review

The remote terror of THE THING meets the body horror of WILDER GIRLS in this fast-paced Antarctic thriller.

Shy high school junior Riley Kowalski is spending her winter break on a research trip to Antarctica, sponsored by one of the world’s biggest tech companies. She joins five student volunteers, a company-approved chaperone, and an impartial scientist to prove that environmental plastic pollution has reached all the way to Antarctica, but what they find is something much worse… something that looks human.

Riley has anxiety--ostracized by the kids at school because of panic attacks--so when she starts to feel like something’s wrong with their expedition leader, Greta, she writes it off. But when Greta snaps and tries to kill Riley, she can’t chalk it up to an overactive imagination anymore. Worse, after watching Greta disintegrate, only to find another student with the same affliction, she realizes they haven’t been infected, they’ve been infiltrated--by something that can change its shape. And if the group isn’t careful, that something could quickly replace any of them.

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More books should be set in Antarctica. Why the heck are they not? Well, at least this one is! And the atmosphere was completely on point, and exactly what I am looking for in a book about a super desolate, cold, barely-inhabited setting.

I really enjoyed this story, as I found it compulsively readable- I simply had to know what was happening in this Antarctician base. In the story, we meet Riley, who is headed to a base run by mega-billionaire Elon Musk Anton Rusk. No, I am not kidding, and yes, it made me chuckle. Homie is exactly as unhinged and depraved as you’d expect though, so that was fun. Anyway, they really don’t know the full scope of their project, and no one is particularly racing to give them any info. But soon enough they figure out that nothing on this base is what it seems, and they were going to be lucky to get out of this alive.

I don’t want to say too much, for that is half the fun of any horror novel, no? I liked Riley enough, obviously character development isn’t the biggest focus in a book like this, but we do learn a bit about her past, as well as the pasts of those selected for this mission alongside her, which does come into play. The story was certainly exciting, as I was super curious about the.. let’s call it the “entity” that is giving the gang a run for their money. My only qualm is that I would have liked to learn more about said entity? The story concludes in a satisfying way, but I also had some unanswered questions. But overall, it was fast paced and full of excitement, so I consider it a win!

Bottom Line: Perfect atmosphere and a tense, creepy unknown element, this book certainly kept me turning the pages!



Reviews in a Minute: September, Part One I'm the Girl by Courtney Summers
Published by Wednesday Books on September 13, 2022
Pages: 352
Format:eARC
Source:Copy provided by publisher for review, via Netgalley

The new groundbreaking queer thriller from New York Times bestselling and Edgar-award Winning author Courtney Summers.

When sixteen-year-old Georgia Avis discovers the dead body of thirteen-year-old Ashley James, she teams up with Ashley's older sister, Nora, to find and bring the killer to justice before he strikes again. But their investigation throws Georgia into a world of unimaginable privilege and wealth, without conscience or consequence, and as Ashley’s killer closes in, Georgia will discover when money, power and beauty rule, it might not be a matter of who is guilty—but who is guiltiest.

A spiritual successor to the 2018 breakout hit, Sadie, I'm the Girl is a masterfully written, bold, and unflinching account of how one young woman feels in her body as she struggles to navigate a deadly and predatory power structure while asking readers one question: if this is the way the world is, do you accept it?

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Where do I even start with I’m the Girl? Well- I’ll tell you this first, I could not find any official trigger warnings, but there are quite a few, including murder, rape, grooming, trauma. It’s certainly not easy fare, but I suspect if you’ve decided to read about a Courtney Summers book, you already got that memo.

Anyway, I will say that I… well, I can’t say I liked the book, it’s about the murder of a young teen, for goodness sake, but I appreciated the book without a doubt. And I was certainly entertained by the story, and hooked from the start. I had a few minor issues, but I still find the book wholly worth the read.

What I Liked:

  • This was one messed up town.  I mean, murder kind of makes for a rough neighborhood, but that isn’t what I mean. From the outside, I think the town is supposed to feel somewhat upscale, with this weirdass country club-esque place lurking in the woods. But nothing in this place is as it appears. I think from the start of the story, you can tell that something is just… off about this whole place. And I love that!
  • I wanted Georgia to have a win. I mean, you can’t help but root for her. Even if I didn’t fully connect to her (see below), I still absolutely felt for her. Nothing she’s gone through in her short life has been easy or pleasant, and now that she’s found a dead body, the trend is obviously continuing.
  • Obviously a lot of important topics are discussed. Courtney Summers never shies away from the tough stuff, and as you can see from the earlier aforementioned content warnings, this book contains those in droves. This one in particular takes a hard look at so many issues, though I fear mentioning a few of them  could end up in spoiler territory (I may be overthinking, but yeah). So, just know it’s heavy-hitting, and we’ll leave it at that.
  • The writing, as always, is great. I think the author just has such a way of writing this type of story, that it just sucks you in and does not let go. Which leads me to my next point…
  • I could not put it down. This is probably the biggest pro for me, and one you should take into account more heavily than anything else- I could not stop reading the damn thing. Like I said earlier, the subject matter is dark and harsh, but despite that, I simply needed to know what happened next. That says a lot about how the author manages to write such compelling characters and story arcs.

What I Struggled With:

  • I just had trouble with Georgia. I am totally down with messy, complex, and flawed characters, don’t misunderstand! Yes, Georgia is all of those things, but none of that is why I had trouble connecting to her. I think a big part of it was that I didn’t fully understand why she was behaving in certain ways? Obviously, I could understand her responses based on trauma, loss, fear, but some facets of her personality just seemed so inexplicable to me, I guess? And maybe if I knew a bit more about what she was feeling/thinking in those moments that confused me, I would have felt more of a connection with her.
  • I did want a bit more from the ending. Honestly though, I think this is just how Courtney Summers rolls, and I have sort of learned to expect that? Even so, worth mentioning.

Bottom Line: Features a lot of tough topics and a bunch of messed up characters, which is to say, it’s pretty great!


Reviews in a Minute: September, Part One The Gathering Dark: An Anthology of Folk Horror by Tori Bovalino, Alex Brown, Olivia Chadha, Chloe Gong, Courtney Gould, Shakira Moise, Aden Polydoros, Allison Saft, Erica Waters, Hannah F. Whitten
Published by Page Street Kids on September 6, 2022
Pages: 272
Format:ARC
Source:Copy provided by publisher for review

A cemetery full of the restless dead. A town so wicked it has already burned twice, with the breath of the third fire looming. A rural, isolated bridge with a terrifying monster waiting for the completion of its summoning ritual. A lake that allows the drowned to return, though they have been changed by the claws of death. These are the shadowed, liminal spaces where the curses and monsters lurk, refusing to be forgotten.

Hauntings, and a variety of horrifying secrets, lurk in the places we once called home. Written by New York Times bestselling, and other critically acclaimed, authors these stories shed a harsh light on the scariest tales we grew up with.

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Ah, anthologies. So hard to review, because some stories are huge hits, some are likely misses, and it feels weird to talk about them as a whole, but honestly, who wants to do a review on each individual story? Doesn’t make sense, and to be perfectly honest, I simply don’t feel like it. So I’ll give you an overall, because do you really care what I think of each individual story that you likely haven’t read yet? You do not.

First, the concept is fabulous. Folk horror? Sign me up! I will say too, the vibe for every story was completely on point. Even though the stories themselves were quite different (because of course), the overall feel was present throughout, which I consider pretty impressive.

As for the individual stories, as always, they run the gamut from “awesome, I want a whole book of this” to “wait what now?”, and this was no different. While I absolutely enjoyed more of the stories than I didn’t, out of the ten, there were two that underwhelmed me, and another two that were decent, four that I definitely enjoyed, and two that blew me away. So, frankly, I think that is a pretty good ratio for an anthology, and add with the cohesiveness of the stories, I found this a definite win.

Bottom Line: Folk horror is pretty badass, and this is the season to read it!


Reviews in a Minute: September, Part One Monsters Born and Made by Tanvi Berwah
Published by Sourcebooks Fire on September 6, 2022
Pages: 352
Format:eARC
Source:Copy provided by publisher for review, via Netgalley

Sixteen-year-old Koral and her older brother Emrik risk their lives each day to capture the monstrous maristags that live in the black seas around their island. They have to, or else their family will starve.

In an oceanic world swarming with vicious beasts, the Landers―the ruling elite, have indentured Koral's family to provide the maristags for the Glory Race, a deadly chariot tournament reserved for the upper class. The winning contender receives gold and glory. The others―if they're lucky―survive.

When the last maristag of the year escapes and Koral has no new maristag to sell, her family's financial situation takes a turn for the worse and they can't afford medicine for her chronically ill little sister. Koral's only choice is to do what no one in the world has ever dared: cheat her way into the Glory Race.

But every step of the way is unpredictable as Koral races against contenders―including her ex-boyfriend―who have trained for this their whole lives and who have no intention of letting a low-caste girl steal their glory. When a rebellion rises and rogues attack Koral to try and force her to drop out, she must choose―her life or her sister's―before the whole island burns.

She grew up battling the monsters that live in the black seas, but it couldn't prepare her to face the cunning cruelty of the ruling elite.

Perfect for fans of The Hunger Games and These Violent Delights, this South Asian-inspired fantasy is a gripping debut about the power of the elite, the price of glory, and one girl's chance to change it all.

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I don’t know who decided on these comps, but I did not get vibes from either The Hunger Games or These Violent Delights.  I did, however, get many vibes from The Scorpio Races. I mean, it’s a book about sort-of-horse races by the sea, come on.

I digress. Comps aside, I had some mixed feelings about the story overall. I liked some aspects, but I had some problems too, so let’s dive in!

What I Liked:

  • The concept was intriguing. Look, I enjoy a competition! Especially when one is kind of desperate to win the thing. (Hey, maybe that is the point of the THG comps? Actually, I think it was maybe the political bit, but we’ll get to that.)
  • I enjoyed the family focus. I mean, I mostly hated Koral’s dad, but I loved that family was such a huge focus of this story. Koral was constantly considering her family’s welfare, even when her plans didn’t exactly work out as she’d hoped for them. Her heart seemed in the right place, at least.
  • The commentary of the political/social system was on point. I mean, obviously it was telling that Koral couldn’t even participate in the race to begin with, and how poor her family was despite doing basically everything they could to provide a service for their community. And then there is the whole “let’s pit all the poor folks against each other so they don’t come after us” but, which of course the wealthy love to do. So yeah, it certainly tracked! I figured by the end, the whole “hope is stronger than fear” schtick was what led to the THG comps. Still, no.

What I Had Trouble With:

  • Some of the plot points just seemed way too easy.  Obviously I can’t get into it too much because spoilers, but even one instance in the beginning felt this way. When Koral joins the race, even though no one of her social class ever had dared try before, it was just sort of… explained away in a way that didn’t feel quite authentic, or earned? And this wasn’t the only instance, just the only one I can get into without spoiling stuff.
  • To that end, it often felt safe and rather predictable. Because I figured everyone would worm their way out of any dire situation, I didn’t feel the sense of urgency that such a story should compel.
  • I wish I understood the world better. I mean what even is a maristag? I mean okay so it can swim but… I kind of want more details. I was also really unsure of when/where it was all supposed to be too. I thought maybe some sort of dystopian or post-apocalyptic world, but then it could have been a fully fantasy world too. Was there anything outside this town? What I am saying is, I just wanted more information.

Bottom Line: I was underwhelmed a bit by the easiness of some of the plot and the lack of information, but the premise was strong and races are fun.


Reviews in a Minute: September, Part One Wishtress by Nadine Brandes
Published by Thomas Nelson on September 13, 2022
Pages: 464
Format:eARC
Source:Copy provided by publisher for review, via Netgalley

She didn't ask to be the Wishtress.

Myrthe was born with the ability to turn her tears into wishes. It's a big secret to keep. When a granted wish goes wrong, a curse is placed on her: the next tear she sheds will kill her. She needs to journey to the Well and break the curse before it claims her life--and before the king's militairen track her down. But in order to survive the journey, she must harden her heart to keep herself from crying even a single tear.

He can stop time with a snap of his fingers.

Bastiaan's powerful--and rare--Talent came in handy when he kidnapped the old king. Now the new king has a job for him: find and capture the Wishtress and deliver her to the schloss. But Bastiaan needs a wish of his own. When he locates Myrthe, he agrees to take her to the Well in exchange for a wish. Once she's fulfilled her end of the deal, he'll turn her in. As long as his growing feelings for the girl with a stone heart don't compromise his job.

They are on a journey that can only end one way: with her death.

Everyone seems to need a wish--the king, Myrthe's cousin, the boy she thinks she loves. And they're ready to bully, beg, and even betray her for it. No one knows that to grant even one of them, Myrthe would have to die. And if she tells them about her curse . . . they'll just kill her anyway.

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Ah, this book was simply lovely. I found the premise to be quite unique and so very readable. I mean- can you imagine if your tears granted wishes? Guys. I cry at least 452 times a day, right? Can you imagine what the world would be like if every single time I could make wishes come true? My popularity would be off the charts!

Sadly, this is not the case with our main character, Myrthe. She’s pretty alone and fairly miserable, her parents dead and her grandmother using her tears for her own selfishness. She doesn’t even fully understand the depths of her own power, as her grandmother has left her purposely in the dark. Suffice it to say, ma’am is not exactly up for the World’s Best Grandma™ coffee cup at this year’s holiday festivities. Then even worse, Myrthe decides to take back some of her agency, and whoops, messes up the world. As such, she’s cursed so that the next tear that falls will be her last. Because she’ll die, if that wasn’t clear.

Fellow MC Bastiaan is an old soul- literally and figuratively. He has his own special power, and harbors his own secrets surrounding it. When he and Myrthe stumble upon each other, their paths become intertwined. They both have something the other wants: Myrthe has the wishes Bastiaan desperately wants, and Bastiaan has knowledge of the Well that Myrthe must find to undo her curse.

So you can see the setup for the story already: everyone wants from Myrthe the one thing that it would literally kill her to give them, a wish. She, in turn, is reluctant to explain to her loved ones why she cannot, as she fears they’ll hate her for the trouble that has befallen her land. Without giving too much away, the story takes some great twists and turns, and even in the moments I could predict, the characters’ responses were so heartfelt that it really didn’t matter, as it was a pleasure to read anyway.

Just a note too, as I know some readers are a bit hesitant to read books labeled as “Christian fiction”: this is in no way preachy or overbearing. It contains lovely messages that, quite frankly, all humans should live by, regardless of religion affiliation or lack thereof.

Bottom Line: The writing is great, the characters so very multifaceted, and the magic system completely comprehensible, this is absolutely another big win for Nadine Brandes.


Reviews in a Minute: September, Part One Full Immersion by Gemma Amor
Published by Angry Robot on September 13, 2022
Pages: 352
Format:eARC
Source:Copy provided by publisher for review, via Netgalley

A traumatised woman with amnesia finds her own dead body and sets out to uncover the truth of her demise in a race against time, sanity, crumbling realities and the ever-present threat of the Silhouette.

When Magpie discovers her own dead body one misty morning in Bristol, it prompts her to uncover the truth of her untimely demise. Her investigations take her on a terrifying journey through multiple realities, experimental treatments, technological innovations and half-memories in a race against time and sanity. Accompanied by a new friend who is both familiar and strange, and constantly on the run from the terrifying, relentless presence of the mysterious predator known only as Silhouette, Magpie must piece together the parts of her life previously hidden. In doing so, she will discover the truth about her past, her potential, and her future.

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**TW via the author: Suicidal ideation, Post-natal depression, Implied acts of violence towards a child, Birth scene

Ah, this book was bananas, and I love when books are bananas! Gosh, I don’t want to tell you too much about the book, because it is one of those things best experienced on your own, but also, I want to give you reasons to read the thing! So bear with me as I do my best!

Magpie finds her own dead self one day whilst on a stroll. Or so it seems. We the reader know that isn’t exactly what happened, and we know this from the start. What we don’t know is why Magpie is involved in this… situation. Neither does she, it seems. We’re privy to some of the communication from the folks running this… let’s call it “potentially therapeutic endeavor”, and they do fill us in a bit. Magpie is in a simulation of sorts, a kind of “last resort” for people dealing with severe trauma and mental health issues that have not been assuaged by more traditional mental health treatment.

From there, we take the journey with Magpie, and see everything she sees while in this treatment. Simultaneously, we are given the perspective of two staff members who are overseeing the situation. Their job is to ensure that this simulation runs smoothly, and I won’t lie, this will not be their best day at the office. Because things go off the rails pretty quickly, and no one- not Magpie, not the employee overseers, and certainly not the reader- have any idea what is in store in this anything-but-ordinary situation.

A few things are clear: Magpie is going to have to face a lot of demons. And the people who invented this “treatment” have no idea what they have unleashed.

Bottom Line: Wonderfully unique, and emotionally provocative, Full Immersion is, well, fully immersive.

Have you read any of these books? Plan to? Let us chat about them!  

Posted September 12, 2022 by Shannon @ It Starts at Midnight in In a Minute, Review / 9 Comments

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9 responses to “Reviews in a Minute: September, Part One

  1. Oh goodness, Full Immersion, Wishtress, and I’m The Girl all sound up my alley! I love a high stakes intrigue. And yeah, Courtney Summers books are brutal. Necessary, for how thought-provoking they are, but they pull no punches and give no quarter. I think Sadie is *still* breaking my heart. And it sounds like Full Immersion is more man vs self than ‘evil tech giant tortures helpless person trapped in a simulation’, and I am all here for it!

  2. It Looks Like Us sounds perfect. antarctica plus a Wilder Girls reference? Although it sounds like maybe there is room for a little more info about the “thing” ha ha, but whatever I’m just glad there’s a book like this. I LOVE this kind of stuff. And Courtney Summers… yeah that sounds about right. I honestly don’t even know what this is about (I skimmed the description but I have the gist) but just the fact that it’s Courtney Summers, plus that cover…

    The folk horror one sounds awesome. I love anthologies anyway, there’s just something about a bunch of short stories that you can read in little bite sized installments, even if some are gonna suck. And I haven’t read a lot of horror of a folk variety?

  3. I love the cover of It Looks Like Us! I agree, more books should be set in Antarctica. I’m hoping to read the new Courtney Summers book sometime soon, although I still haven’t read The Project so I need to prioritise that first, I think. I just loved Sadie so much that it put me in a Summers slump!

  4. Looks like I enjoyed Monsters Born and Made like you. I agree that the comparisons in it were not quite right. Although I kind of saw the Hunger Games. I mean the chariot race at the beginning was like the one in the Hunger Games I guess. And I definitely got the Scorpio Races vibe too. I need to get the newest Nadine Brandes book too. Thanks for sharing all your reviews!
    https://lisalovesliterature.bookblog.io/2022/09/29/blog-tour-review-the-book-boyfriend-meet-cute-book-club-8-by-kate-stacy/

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