Showing posts with label psychological fiction. Show all posts
Showing posts with label psychological fiction. Show all posts

Sunday, September 15, 2024

Book Review | THE ASTROLOGY HOUSE by Carinn Jade


THE ASTROLOGY HOUSE
BY CARINN JADE | PUBLICATION: JULY 16, 2024
ATRIA BOOKS | GENRE: THRILLER
RATING: ★★★✬
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A group of wealthy Manhattanites escape to an astrology-themed retreat, where simmering resentments and long-held secrets lead to a shocking death in this fresh, twisty, and suspenseful debut in the vein of Liane Moriarty and Katy Hays.

Margot needs a minute. She’s been working eighty-hour weeks as a newly minted partner at her law firm. She’s disconnected from her brother, the only family she has left. And she’s still not pregnant after years of trying.

Stars Harbor Astrological Retreat promises rest, relaxation, and wisdom for Margot and her friends. With Instagram-worthy views and nightly astrology readings in an impeccably restored waterfront Victorian house, this getaway should be nothing but idyllic fun. For Margot’s brother, Adam, it’s the perfect opportunity to rekindle the romance that fuels his writing. But his wife, Aimee, hides the darkness of her past with a beautiful social media feed. Their friend, Farah, is a successful doctor who cannot admit that she’s losing control.

Yet no one holds a greater secret than their astrologer host, Rini. She has a plan for all of her guests, and one of them won’t be leaving Stars Harbor alive.

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A Stellar Debut Thriller

Carinn Jade's debut novel, THE ASTROLOGY HOUSE, is a celestial journey into the lives of four intertwined couples seeking solace and wisdom at the Stars Harbor Astrological Retreat. With a backdrop of astrological mystique, the narrative unfolds, revealing that the stars may hold more than just secrets of personality and fate; they also mirror the tumultuous storms brewing within the retreat's walls.

The novel's structure is a constellation of multiple points of view, each character shining distinctly against the night sky of the plot. The reader navigates through the intricate web of relationships and astrological lore, guided by a helpful "cheat sheet" that illuminates the sun and moon houses, providing context to the cosmic interplay at work.

Jade masterfully maintains a simmering tension throughout the story, akin to the quiet before a storm, leading to a crescendo of revelations that upend expectations. The characters, each flawed and complex, are the true north of the narrative, their imperfections charting a course through the suspenseful tale.

An evaluation of human nature through the lens of the stars, THE ASTROLOGY HOUSE is persuading us that, much like the unpredictable weather, our lives and relationships are subject to forces beyond our control, influenced by the unseen energy of the universe.

As a debut, Jade's novel is a promising glimpse into the author's literary talent. Readers will find themselves eagerly anticipating the next alignment of Jade's storytelling prowess with the celestial bodies of intrigue and drama.


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About the Author:

Carinn Jade is a lawyer, writer, and cohost of the Pop Fiction Women podcast. Her essays have been published in The New York Times, DailyWorth, and Motherwell. She has attended the GrubStreet Novel Generator, Yale Writers’ Conference, and the Northern California Writers’ Retreat. Carinn grew up on the North Fork of Long Island and lives with her family in New York City. The Astrology House is her first novel.
Photograph by Erin Schiffman



*Thanks to Simon & Schuster CA for the egalley
in exchange for this unbiased review.






Monday, June 5, 2017

Book Review | EVERY LAST LIE by Mary Kubica

June 27, 2017; Park Row Books
New York Times bestselling author of THE GOOD GIRL, Mary Kubica is back with another exhilarating thriller as a widow's pursuit of the truth leads her to the darkest corners of the psyche. 
Grief-stricken and seriously stressed, Clara Solberg is not handling her husband’s death the way she wants to. Too many things are piling up while she is trying to compromise with her current state, along with a four-year-old daughter and a new-born son. A few days later, details emerge and Clara starts to question whether Nick really had an accident or was he actually murdered.

EVERY LAST LIE is another suspenseful novel from Mary Kubica, a slow burn that kept me at the edge of my seat. Whenever I thought I had it all figured out, the clues will pull me in a different direction. With her customary technique, the narration is altered between Clara and Nick, giving me a chance to cross out every mistaken conjecture. The characters are all vividly rendered, they readily hooked this reader and before I knew it, I was totally invested on them.

I love how this book explored marriage and trust in the midst of a tragedy, and how these things ultimately affect how we perceive things. I do recommend this book.

Book details:
Title:  Every Last Lie
Author:  Mary Kubica
Publication:  June 27, 2017; Park Row Books
Genre:  Mystery / Fiction
Rating: ★★★★


Saturday, May 21, 2016

Book Review | INK AND BONE by Lisa Unger

June 7, 2016
Touchstone
INK AND BONE lead us to a world beyond strange… and yes, beyond death.

More than anything else, Finley Montgomery wants control of her own life. But first, she needs to understand who she is.  Finley grew up misunderstood and misguided; she is perpetually haunted by people and things that only she could see. Confused, she sought her maternal grandmother, Eloise, a renowned psychic, for guidance in controlling her bizarre abilities.
We don’t always choose who we are, or what we experience.
We just choose what we do with it all.
The Hollows is a very intriguing and inviting place. Visitors are always enthralled by its quiet woodlands and accommodating populace. Ten months ago, a girl was abducted by strange men, while her father and brother were left bleeding from gunshot wounds, down on the trek trail leading to The Hollows Wood.

This is my first Lisa Unger book and I am not disappointed. Ink and Bone is an attention-grabbing mystery that holds many twists and leading plots. It is very engaging to witness this bifurcated narrative merge and form an edge-of-the-seat thrill.

Some of the viewpoints may be unnecessary for the development of the story. Strange is, I do get Ms. Unger in giving them ample attention. This book is more than the mystery or the thrill. It is also about moral principles and choices and taking the right steps to give it importance.

I LIKE IT VERY MUCH.


Book details:
Title:  Ink and Bone
Author:  Lisa Unger
Publication:  June 7, 2016; Touchstone
Genre:  Psychological Thriller
Rating:  ★★★★



*Copy received from the publisher through Netgalley in exchange for this unbiased review.





Saturday, April 16, 2016

Book Review | DON'T YOU CRY by Mary Kubica


May 17, 2016; MIRA
In downtown Chicago, a young woman named Esther Vaughan disappears from her apartment without a trace. A haunting letter addressed to My Dearest is found among her possessions, leaving her friend and roommate Quinn Collins to wonder where Esther is and whether or not she’s the person she thought she knew.

Meanwhile, in a small Michigan harbor town an hour outside of Chicago, a mysterious woman appears in the quiet coffee shop where eighteen-year-old Alex Gallo works as a dishwasher. He is immediately drawn to her charm and beauty, but what starts as an innocent crush quickly spirals into something far more dark and sinister than he ever expected.

As Quinn searches for answers about Esther, and Alex is drawn further under Pearl’s spell, master of suspense Mary Kubica takes readers on a taut and twisted thrill ride that builds to a stunning conclusion and shows that no matter how fast and far we run, the past always catches up with us in the end. ~Goodreads

I LOVE it. Mary Kubica is now officially a favorite. I enjoyed both The Good Girl and Pretty Baby last year. Their stories are not easily forgotten, I can still vividly recall them. And DON’T YOU CRY is another statement of her brilliance.

Like the other two previous books, this one is also narrated from different POVs. I believe that’s one of the book’s attractions. Different POVs get the book to cover more grounds, and although the plot tends to wind, it never gets boring. This style also gives the reader a broader view; diversity of thoughts and ruminations gives a better thrill. And, Ms. Kubica used this style very wisely.

The book is unbelievably well-written. The psychological thrill lies in the chase for some elusive answers. I love how Ms. Kubica dangles those answers right in front of the reader, but always out of reach, until the last stretch, and then, shock takes root and reacting is utterly difficult. Agreeably, everything was cleverly tied together in the end. I believe that a good psychological thriller should be exactly like that.

This review is frustratingly vague, I know, but I don’t want to spoil anything. A warning though, this book challenges the reader with questions from the very beginning of the story. So, you’ll be very tempted to take a peak. Hold on to that temptation, but never peak.

I highly recommend this book.


Book details:

Title:  Don't You Cry
Author:  Mary Kubica
Publication: May 17, 2016; MIRA
Genre: Psychological Thriller
Rating:  ★★★★★



*Thanks to MIRA and Netgalley for the galley in exchange for this honest review.


TFG-F2F62, February 25, 2017Milky Way, Makati City

Thursday, September 3, 2015

THE GOOD GIRL by Mary Kubica


This novel wowed me. And I don’t believe that just because it was a debut novel it shouldn’t be praised for its merits. Mary Kubica did a great job with this book, and I believe that a lesser hand wouldn’t be able to accomplish what she did here.

     THE GOOD GIRL is alternately narrated by the characters, in a non-constricted timeline, and in spite of that, the book maintained its fast-paced thrill. It was never confusing, nor difficult. In fact, I believe it’s this style that kept me at the edge of my seat all the time. I was pretty hooked from the beginning.

I liked all the characters; they are developed according to their purpose for the story. Sure, there is a weak link, but every story has one, and for me, it did not deter this story in the least. Colin was the most developed character in the story, which was pretty interesting since he is the appointed antagonist. Having said that, Stockholm Syndrome is employed curiously here, because the antagonist is our hero too, and our victim is no ordinary victim.

There is danger in staying here. I know it. She knows it.
But my biggest concern now is not having her with me.

As I said, this is a fast-paced thriller. I admire Kubica for pacing that thrill and withholding the twist until the epilogue. As I get to the end, my anxiety grew stronger. And her simple and unswerving prose made this all the more gripping. I rarely bawled over reading, the last time was The Time Traveler’s Wife, six years ago, until now. This is heartbreaking but complexly satisfying. I listened to the audiobook as well, and it just swept me. It was beautifully done.

The problem with this novel is not its plot, or characters, nor its writing. The problem lies in its promotion. I don’t know where it started, but comparing this with Gone Girl, or quoting this as the “next Gone Girl” is pretty unfair and made the wrong impression/expectation in the reading community. As far as I can tell the similarity of the two books begins and ends with having a missing person in the story. This novel conveys a very different structure and message. As I said from the beginning, this book should be praised for its own merits. 

If you have a taste for suspense, you shouldn’t skip this one.


Book details:
Title:  The Good Girl
Author:  Mary Kubica
Publication:  Blackstone Audio; July 29, 2014 
Genre:  Suspense/Thriller, Fiction
Rating:  ★★★★★