My Thoughts on: What Big Teeth by Rose Szabo

 

What Big Teeth by Rose Szabo

Publication Date: February 2, 2021 by Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR)

Genre: YA Horror

Source: ARC from the publisher via NetGalley for review 

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️✨ 

Eleanor Zarrin has been estranged from her wild family for years. When she flees boarding school after a horrifying incident, she goes to the only place she thinks is safe: the home she left behind. But when she gets there, she struggles to fit in with her monstrous relatives, who prowl the woods around the family estate and read fortunes in the guts of birds.

Eleanor finds herself desperately trying to hold the family together — in order to save them all, Eleanor must learn to embrace her family of monsters and tame the darkness inside her.

Szabo’s debut novel, What Big Teeth, is a very strange and unique story. I had fun reading this book, but it was definitely a strange read

The book’s awesome cover caught my eye and made me interested in this one. I love that creepy looking cover. Cover art: 10/10!!

I wasn’t sure what to expect going into this story. I thought it would be a horror story about werewolves, and there are werewolves in this book, but it was focused more on the dysfunctional dynamics of this weird Addams Family type family. 

The main character, Eleanor, returns home after being away at a boarding school. She has questions about her family history and she wants to learn more about her monstrous instincts. Her family is literally a bunch of monsters. They are all creepy and strange. I kept thinking Eleanor would have been better off staying at her boarding school! Another strange character in this book is the family friend, Arthur, who is mysterious and creepy, yet many of the family members seem drawn to him. I thought the relationships between Arthur and the family was very odd and awkward.

I’m still not sure exactly how I feel about this book. I like strange books, but this story was a little too out there for me. I did really like Szabo’s writing and I thought this was an interesting and creepy book. If you’re into strange stories, you might want to read this one.

Thanks for Reading!

February Reading Wrap Up

 

February was a pretty good reading month!

Hyperbole and a Half by Allie Brosh

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This was a re-read. I love this graphic novel!

What Big Teeth by Rose Szabo 

⭐️⭐️⭐️✨

This was a strange one! Review coming soon.

Rogue Planet by Cullen Bunn

⭐️⭐️

I wasn’t a fan of this sci-fi/horror graphic novel.

Check out my review here

Secrets of Camp Whatever by Chris Grine

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This was a cute and fun graphic novel.

Check out my review here

Martian Ghost Centaur by Mat Heagerty 

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This was another cute graphic novel!

Check out my review here

The Ghost in Apartment 2R by Denis Markell

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I love creepy middle grade books and this was a fun one!

The Burning Girls by C.J. Tudor 

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️✨

This was one of my favorite reads of the month!

Check out my review here

The New Girl (Fear Street #1) by R.L. Stine 

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Ahh..I love these 90’s horror/mystery books! I started collecting the original Fear Street series and I’m planning to read one every month. This makes me nostalgic.

These Witches Don’t Burn by Isabel Sterling

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I really enjoyed this witchy YA read. I’m actually reading books I own! What?!?! I plan on reading the 2nd book in the series this month.

Elvira Mistress of the Dark Volume 1 by David Avallone

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Elvira leaping through time. This was a funny and enjoyable graphic novel.

Welcome to Dead House (Goosebumps #1) by R.L. Stine

⭐️⭐️⭐️

I also plan to read a Goosebumps book every month. I liked this first book in the series!

Every Last Fear by Alex Finlay 

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️✨

This was such a great mystery/thriller!! Review coming soon.

Chain Letter by Christopher Pike

⭐️⭐️⭐️✨

I used to read Pike’s books when I was young and I plan on reading one of his books every month. 

Magic and Other Misdemeanors (The Sisters Grimm #5) by Michael Buckley 

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I really love this fantasy middle grade series! I can’t wait to read the 6th book this month.

The Hatmakers by Tamzin Merchant 

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This was a cute middle grade fantasy that I really enjoyed! Review coming soon.

Elvira Mistress of the Dark Volume 2 by David Avallone

⭐️⭐️⭐️

My final read for the month of February was the 2nd Elvira graphic novel. This one was not as good as the first but it was still enjoyable.

Those are all the books I read in February. Have you read any of these books or do you plan on reading any? Let me know in the comments!

Thanks for Reading!

My Thoughts on: Every Last Fear by Alex Finlay

 

Every Last Fear by Alex Finlay

Publication Date: March 2, 2021 by Minotaur Books

Genre: Mystery/Thriller

Source: eARC from the publisher via NetGalley for review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️✨

After a late night of partying, NYU student Matt Pine returns to his dorm room to devastating news: nearly his entire family—his mom, his dad, his little brother and sister—have been found dead from an apparent gas leak while vacationing in Mexico. The local police claim it was an accident, but the FBI and State Department seem far less certain—and they won’t tell Matt why. 

The tragedy makes headlines everywhere because this isn’t the first time the Pine family has been thrust into the media spotlight. Matt’s older brother, Danny—currently serving a life sentence for the murder of his teenage girlfriend Charlotte—was the subject of a viral true crime documentary suggesting that Danny was wrongfully convicted. Though the country has rallied behind Danny, Matt holds a secret about his brother that he’s never told anyone: the night Charlotte was killed Matt saw something that makes him believe his brother is guilty of the crime. 

When Matt returns to his small hometown to bury his parents and siblings, he’s faced with a hostile community that was villainized by the documentary, a frenzied media, and memories he’d hoped to leave behind forever. Now, as the deaths in Mexico appear increasingly suspicious and connected to Danny’s case, Matt must unearth the truth behind the crime that sent his brother to prison—putting his own life in peril—and forcing him to confront his every last fear. 

Told through multiple points-of-view and alternating between past and present, Alex Finlay’s Every Last Fear is not only a page-turning thriller, it’s also a poignant story about a family managing heartbreak and tragedy, and living through a fame they never wanted.

Finlay’s debut, Every Last Fear, was an intriguing and pulse-pounding mystery/thriller. I really enjoyed this book! I never know how I’m going to get along with a thriller, but I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed this one. This story kept me guessing and I loved every minute of reading it.

🩸Multiple POVs and Alternating Timelines

Every Last Fear is told in the past and present timelines and there are multiple characters’ point of views. Certain chapters are from Matt’s father’s, mother’s, and sister’s perspectives in the past, and other chapters are from Matt’s perspective in the present. Readers also get the perspective of the FBI agent assigned to the case, Sarah Keller. There is also some documentary footage interspersed throughout the book. I really love when books feature documentary footage or podcasts. I also really loved the use of past and present timelines and the multiple POVs, although it was a little difficult to follow in the beginning. 

🩸Many Questions

I had many questions while reading this book. What really happened to this family? Why would someone want to kill them? Did Matt’s older brother Danny really kill his girlfriend? Is someone after Matt? What secrets are these characters hiding? 

🩸Interesting Characters 

I thought all the characters were very interesting and well-written. Matt has to deal with the loss of his father, mother, sister, and brother, while trying to find out what happened to them. Matt’s older brother Danny is in prison for the murder of his girlfriend, but did he really kill her or was he framed? In the past, Matt’s father, Evan, desperately tries to find evidence to get Danny freed from prison; and Matt’s mother, Liv, and sister, Maggie, both have secrets that are eating away at them.

🩸Thrilling Read

Overall, Every Last Fear, is a thrilling mystery that I highly recommend. This was a gripping page-turner and I had so much fun reading it. I will definitely be reading Finlay’s future books. Mystery/thriller lovers should absolutely pick this one up!

Thanks for Reading!