Review: The Scarlet Circus

The Scarlet Circus by Jane Yolen
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Full Disclosure:  I received an advanced reader's copy of the Scarlet Circus by Jane Yolen from Tachyon Publications via NetGalley.  

The Scarlet Circus is a collection of "romance" short stories written by Jane Yolen throughout the years.  You may have read some of them elsewhere.  All of the stories have some element of fantasy to them.  This isn't your typical romance novel though.  That romance has a broad definition and doesn't always have a happy ending.  In fact, some of the stories are quite dark.  I really like it when Jane Yolen takes a story you think you know and turns it on its head.  Those tend to be my favorites.  

Bonus points to Jane for finding love again much later in life after being widowed.  There's some romance for you!  Although, if her story is one to follow, I better start looking back where I started instead of seeing if there is anything new out there. 

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Review: My Heart Is a Chainsaw

My Heart Is a Chainsaw by Stephen Graham Jones
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

My Heart is a Chainsaw is the first book in the Lake Witch Trilogy by Stephen Graham Jones.  Definitely start reading here.  You'll want to learn all about the Lake Witch's history.  

This is a love letter to horror fans, especially if you like slasher films.  The main character is on the cusp of graduating high school.  Like some of us, she didn't fit in well school for a variety of reasons some of which have to do with being Native American in a predominately white town.  Her comfort zone, her escape, is horror movies.  The main storyline is interspersed with the extra credit papers she wrote for her history teacher explaining components of slasher films.  It's fantastic!  All of the horror references are so much fun, and I can really get behind her theory that Jaws is a slasher film. She makes good points.  All that knowledge comes in handy when she is convinced her town has its very own slasher.  Or, does it?  This book has all the pieces of a great horror movie/novel.  And even though you are given the actual blueprint, you still are wondering what is around every corner.  

Perfect for Halloween!  Get reading!

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Review: Kingdom of Bones

Kingdom of Bones by James Rollins
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Kingdom of Bones is the 16th book in the Sigma Force series by James Rollins.  You could read this as a stand-alone, but I love these characters and like seeing how their lives develop over the course of the series.  Still, there is nothing you need to know from previous books that would prevent you from enjoying this one.  If you like your thrillers with some history and science mixed in, the Sigma Force series is always a great choice.

As with any ensemble series, we all develop our favorites.  I was glad to see Kowalski and Monk were back as well as my favorite non-Sigma pair, Tucker and Kane.  When the team is sent to the Congo to help a team of doctors who discovered a mysterious illness plaguing the area, they may finally have met their match.  No spoilers, but some lives are definitely changed forever.  I found myself ugly crying in public toward the end of the book.  We are also introduced to one new, hopefully permanent, member of the series.  

If you are still traumatized by the devastation wrought by COVID, you may want to wait before picking up this book.  It's very engrossing but will scare the living daylights out of you.  

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