Reviews in a Minute: All of December

Sorry these reviews took so long but, you know, it’s been a time, and I have been writing them on my lunch breaks so don’t judge too harshly! At least the books were good!

What the Woods Took by Courtney Gould
How to Steal a Galaxy by Beth Revis
The Last Creation by H.J. Nelson
Private Rites by Julia Armfield
Mechanize My Hands to War by Erin K. Wagner
Dust by Alison Stine



Reviews in a Minute: All of December What the Woods Took by Courtney Gould
Published by Wednesday Books on December 10, 2024
Pages: 336
Format:eARC, Paperback
Source:Copy provided by publisher for review, via Netgalley

Yellowjackets meets Girl, Interrupted when a group of troubled teens in a wilderness therapy program find themselves stranded in a forest full of monsters eager to take their place.

Devin Green wakes in the middle of the night to find two men in her bedroom. No stranger to a fight, she calls to her foster parents for help, but it soon becomes clear this is a planned abduction—one everyone but Devin signed up for. She’s shoved in a van and driven deep into the Idaho woods, where she’s dropped off with a cohort of equally confused teens. Finally, two camp counselors inform them that they've all been enrolled in an experimental therapy program. If the campers can learn to change their self-destructive ways—and survive a fifty-days hike through the wilderness—they’ll come out the other side as better versions of themselves. Or so the counselors say.

Devin is immediately determined to escape. She’s also determined to ignore Sheridan, the cruel-mouthed, lavender-haired bully who mocks every group exercise. But there’s something strange about these woods—inhuman faces appearing between the trees, visions of people who shouldn't be there flashing in the leaves—and when the campers wake up to find both counselors missing, therapy becomes the least of their problems. Stranded and left to fend for themselves, the teens quickly realize they’ll have to trust each other if they want to survive. But what lies in the woods may not be as dangerous as what the campers are hiding from each other—and if the monsters have their way, no one will leave the woods alive.

Atmospheric and sharp, What the Woods Took is a poignant story of transformation that explores the price of becoming someone—or something—new.

CW at start: “What the Woods Took chronicles the journey of five “troubled teens” in a behavioral therapy program. Therefore, some of the thematic material included contains mentions of substance abuse, child endangerment, sexual assault and child sexual abuse (CSA), and suicide. Included also are depictions of gore and violence against children. For a more detailed description of sensitive content, please visit gouldbooks.com/wtwt

Courtney Gould does it again! Another thriller I could not put down, this time with some wilderness survival thrown in. Very yes please. In this story, we are introduced to some teens whose parents or guardians have decided that their behavior warrants a wake up call, in this case, in the form of a wilderness camp. The kids are none too thrilled to the there, as you can imagine, and very quickly things take a sinister turn. From early on, there is a supernatural/paranormal feel to the story, and while I often don’t end up enjoying that, it was fine in this story. I loved the characters, was super invested in both their personal and relationship stories and the overarching plot, and frankly I just kept flying through the pages!

Bottom Line: The author is now 3 for 3, and definitely moved up to auto-buy!


Reviews in a Minute: All of December How to Steal a Galaxy by Beth Revis
Series: Chaotic Orbits #2
Published by DAW on December 3, 2024
Pages: 192
Format:eARC
Source:Copy provided by publisher for review, via Netgalley

A high octane sexy space heist from New York Times bestselling author Beth Revis, the second in a novella trilogy.

Ada had no intention whatsoever to continue working for the rebel group that hired her to retrieve the government’s plans for a nanobot climate cleaner if they weren’t willing to pay her for it, but then they offer a different an undercover mission to a charity gala where Rian will be in attendance. Rian, meanwhile, has volunteered his services for the gala believing that the rare items up for auction will attract Ada’s eye. Hoping to catch her in the act and pin her with a punishable crime, Rian has no idea that Ada’s real mission is to convince him to join the rebels. And the rebels have no idea that Ada’s decided that kidnapping Rian is the most efficient means to an end.

How to Steal the Galaxy continues the sexy, rip-roaring good time that Beth Revis began in Full Speed to a Crash Landing, with the return of Ada, Rian, and all the tension, twists, and turns that made the first novella so much fun.

So, I adore this series! It is fun and full of adventure and also I love me a tiny book. This sequel had a slightly different vibe than the first. I won’t say I loved it quite as much as the first, but it was still really good. I think since it’s a “closed-room” sort of thing, it didn’t have the scope of the first one. Which again, not a bad thing! I think we learn a lot about the main characters and world, which I appreciated. But I will also be really excited to get back into space adventures, too, and maybe some other characters. The whole thing felt very relevant as well, which I always like. I will definitely be reading book 3!

Bottom Line: A different vibe from book one, but still a solid installment that definitely gives a lot of insight into the world and characters.


Reviews in a Minute: All of December The Last Creation by H.J. Nelson
Series: The Last She #3
Published by Wattpad Books on December 3, 2024
Pages: 400
Format:eARC
Source:Copy provided by publisher for review, via Netgalley

The final installment of The Last She series finds Ara, Kaden, and Sam reunited . . . only to face their toughest adversary yet: the Creation, a selection of clones who are hell-bent on destroying humankind. It’s up to the three of them to save what’s left of humanity before it’s wiped out . . . again.

In the final installment of H.J. Nelson’s dynamic The Last She series, Ara, Kaden, and Sam risk everything to save what’s left of the world when it’s threatened by the Creation.

Ara and Kaden are above ground. Now that they know the truth, they want nothing more than to move forward. To find their way in this new world, together. They also want to find their way back to Sam, who is both alive and back with the clan. They all want their happy-for-now ending.

The Creation have other plans. They, too, want to exist above ground—but in a world that does not include humans. The battle will happen and only one side can win. Will Ara be the last one standing again, or can she, Kaden, and Sam save what’s left of humanity?

First of all, giant props to the author and publisher for including a recap at the start of this book! All series should do this honestly, it is so helpful, because I can barely remember what I ate for lunch, let alone the details of a book I read at least a year ago. So thanks! This was a satisfying, if not epic finale. The loose ends were tied up, and the characters’ stories were all told. It was not overly unrealistic, which is nice, but nor did it make me frustrated. I am not trying to spoil anything, but I think it is safe to say that if you liked the series, you will like this final installment. It wasn’t the sort of story that I cannot stop thinking about, but it was enjoyable and entertaining and the finale wraps things up. Overall, a pretty solid series that I am glad to have read!

Bottom Line: Good end to an enjoyable series detailing what comes after the end of the world.


Reviews in a Minute: All of December Private Rites by Julia Armfield
Published by Flatiron Books on December 3, 2024
Pages: 304
Format:eARC
Source:Copy provided by publisher for review, via Netgalley

From the award-winning author of Our Wives Under the Sea, a speculative reimagining of King Lear, centering three sisters navigating queer love and loss in a drowning world

It’s been raining for a long time now, so long that the land has reshaped itself and arcane rituals and religions are creeping back into practice. Sisters Isla, Irene, and Agnes have not spoken in some time when their father dies. An architect as cruel as he was revered, his death offers an opportunity for the sisters to come together in a new way. In the grand glass house they grew up in, their father’s most famous creation, the sisters sort through the secrets and memories he left behind, until their fragile bond is shattered by a revelation in his will.

More estranged than ever, the sisters’ lives spin out of control: Irene’s relationship is straining at the seams; Isla’s ex-wife keeps calling; and cynical Agnes is falling in love for the first time. But something even more sinister might be unfolding, something related to their mother’s long-ago disappearance and the strangers who have always seemed unusually interested in the sisters’ lives. Soon, it becomes clear that the sisters have been chosen for a very particular purpose, one with shattering implications for their family and their imperiled world.

I started this book literally the day my dad died, I love that for me. Because as you may have read from the synopsis, these sisters’ dad has just died. Unlike my own dad, this guy sucked, which made it a lot easier to handle. Here’s the thing: I enjoyed the sisters’ stories. They were quiet, and dealt with a lot more than just the passing of their father. They dealt with the world around them, which was also quiet in its ending- climate change was wreaking havoc, but people still lived mostly in denial. Honestly so much of the story tracked. We’d definitely do that, right? But the women had to grapple with the messiness of the world, their own complicated romances and friendships, their relationships with each other, the loss of their dad and their broken relationships with him, and just their general life trajectories and where they wanted to go from here. It was pretty good stuff! And then… the end happened. It was so (for me, anyway) out of left field that I still haven’t a clue what went down. I simply don’t get it. I feel like other people did though, so if you are other people, help a girl out? If you don’t get it, like me, the rest of the book is still worth reading, so at least there’s that!

Bottom Line: Quiet and reflective, telling the stories of three sisters coping with personal and global loss.


Reviews in a Minute: All of December Mechanize My Hands to War by Erin K. Wagner
Published by DAW on December 17, 2024
Pages: 320
Format:eARC
Source:Copy provided by publisher for review, via Netgalley

The debut novel from Erin K Wagner is a chilling nonlinear sci-fi that examines androids as a labor force in conflict with both human farmers and homegrown militias in near-future Appalachia

Deep in the hills of Appalachia, anti-android sentiment is building. Charismatic demagogue Eli Whitaker has used anger toward new labor policies that replace factory workers with androids to build a militia–and now he is recruiting child soldiers.

Part of a governmental task force, Adrian and Trey are determined to put a stop to Whitaker’s efforts. Their mission is complicated by their own shared childhood experiences with Whitaker. After an automated soldier shoots a child during a raid to protect Trey, both grapple with the role of androids and their use in combat.

Interrelated with the hunt for Whitaker, farmers Shay and Ernst struggle after they discover their GMO crop seeds have failed and caused a deadly illness in Shay. To help manage, they hire android employees: Sarah as hospice, and AG-15 to work the now-toxic fields. The couple’s relationship to the androids evolve as both humans get progressively more sick.

Timely and chilling, Wagner's nonlinear debut shares intimate narratives of loss, trauma, and survival as the emergence of artificial life intersects with state violence and political extremism in rural Appalachia.

This was quite an interesting story about a near-future world where climate change is showing its effects and AI are becoming more a part of daily life. I liked the concept, and how we popped back and forth in time to see how all parties got to the present day. The one issue I had was that while it was cool at times to see the story from multiple perspectives, it also got a little repetitive. The AI discourse seemed reasonable, and I am always game for a story of AI sentience and what that would look like in society. Of course, plenty of folks did not want AI in society, but they were already there, which of course lead to all sorts of issues. The story brings the age-old question of what makes us human and all the good stuff that comes with it. The vibe was definitely a bit melancholic, but in an incredibly realistic way that scared me, so props to the author for that, too.

Bottom Line: A very realistic feeling take on what the near future might look like, given our current trajectory. And as always, I love a good look at “what makes us human?”.


Reviews in a Minute: All of December Dust by Alison Stine
Published by Wednesday Books on December 3, 2024
Pages: 320
Format:eARC
Source:Copy provided by publisher for review, via Netgalley

In this haunting, speculative coming-of-age novel about finding your place in an unforgiving environment, a partially deaf teen questions everything she knows about family, love, and her future.

After her father has a premonition, Thea and her family move to the Bloodless Valley of southern Colorado, hoping to make a fresh start. But the rivers are dry, the crops are dying, and the black blizzards of Colorado have returned. Much like the barren land, Thea feels her life has stopped growing. She is barely homeschooled, forbidden from going to the library, and has no way to contact her old friends―all due to her parents’ fear of the outside world’s dangerous influence.

But to make ends meet, Thea is allowed to work at the café in town. There, she meets Ray, who is deaf. Thea, who was born hard of hearing, has always been pushed by her parents to pass as someone who can hear. Now, with Ray secretly teaching Thea how to sign, she begins to learn what she’s been missing―not just a new language but a whole community and maybe even a chance at love.

I loved how many genres Dust encompassed! I mean, it’s *almost* contemporary, but really more near future/alt history, mixed in with some cli-fi, a light YA romance, and features a main character with a hearing disability. Oh, and it feels high key culty at points! Color me impressed, frankly.
I enjoyed the story quite a bit- anytime a young woman goes on a journey of self-discovery and claiming her own agency I am here for it. And wow, will you feel for Thea. Her dad has uprooted the family to some godforsaken dustbowl in Colorado because… wait for it… my dude had a dream that he should. Like I had a dream that I was teaching rich kids on a movie set last night but you don’t see me quitting my job. I digress. Anyway, he insists that Thea and her little sister be “homeschooled” and I use the term loosely because there is exactly zero “school” involved. He does let Thea have a job, but god forbid she speaks to another human. At least half the book is me wanting to kick this man in the nether regions, but alas.
Thea finally starts to see the world as it is more and more, thankfully. But that only makes things rougher, honestly, because now she knows how messed up the whole thing is. And it turns out that there are a lot of dangers lurking at the farm, and they aren’t just crappy misogynist dad related.  There is just a lot of stuff happening, but none of it feels forced. And because there is a lot involved, the pages just kept turning so I’d see how it all ended!

Bottom Line: Loved the incredible mix of genres as well as the very relevant commentary.

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

Posted December 21, 2024 by Shannon @ It Starts at Midnight in In a Minute, Review / 6 Comments

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6 responses to “Reviews in a Minute: All of December

  1. “Like I had a dream that I was teaching rich kids on a movie set last night but you don’t see me quitting my job. I digress.”
    I live for these commentaries 🤣. Also, writing reviews during lunch break? You’re a rockstar – I could never.

    I very much enjoyed The Dead and the Dark, and I’m looking forward to reading Gould again – especially this one (I didn’t qualify for an ARC, but that won’t stop me LOL). I’ve heard very good things about Dust, and your opinion speaks volumes too, so I’ll keep that one in mind.

  2. Oooh, these DO all sound good! Damn. You *should* go be one of those movie set teachers, though. What a great gig that would be!

    Here’s my congratulations, too, for making it through all the books. You did it!! Huzzah!

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