Tag: Review

The Keeper of Night by Kylie Lee Baker Review

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“Everyone has terrible parts inside them, even if they pretend otherwise. You’re just honest about it,” Baker, The Keeper of Night.

The Keeper of Night by Kylie Lee Baker follows Ren Scarborough, who is expected to obey the harsh rules of the reapers society. The reapers do not like her because of her mysterious Shinigami powers and her elusive mother. Ren doesn’t easily reveal her emotions and avoids those who do not like her. Eventually, she can’t control her Shinigami powers and she has to escape London.

She goes to Japan, accompanied by her younger brother and enters the Japanese underworld. She is looking for acceptance in a world that does not accept her. She thinks she’ll find it in the underworld, but even there she has to prove herself. She gets help from her younger brother and a new ally. She doesn’t know whether or not this new ally is trustworthy, and romantic feelings may get in the way.

I really loved this book! The writing was very captivating. Baker used the five senses extremely well which helped put me into each scene. I also thought the character development was exceptional. I could see the growth in Ren as she tried to find acceptance in a world where she wasn’t accepted. She struggled, but she came into herself, with the assistance of a new ally and her brother.

Her only consistent companion her whole life has been her younger brother and as they went on this journey to the underworld together, their relationship evolved, which helped each of them turn into stronger versions of themselves. I think there is a lot in this book for readers to relate to, such as Ren trying to find acceptance and a place for herself in her world.

Annotating is something I just started doing while reading and I highlighted and tabbed so many beautiful passages, which really speaks to the masterful writing. As a writer myself, I know revisiting these tabbed passages will help improve my writing and worldbuilding because the worldbuilding was also excellent!

I can’t wait for the sequel currently set to release on October 4th, 2022. This is a duology I highly recommend, especially for the fall time as it gives off those creepy vibes! Happy reading!

The House Across The Lake by Riley Sager Review

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“You withhold and withhold and withhold until that mental dam breaks and all those bad urges come spilling out, often causing harm in the process.”

The House Across The Lake by Riley Sager follows Casey Fletcher, a widowed actress who is trying to stay out of the public eye and some bad press. She’s gone into hiding at her family’s lake house in Vermont. She spends the majority of her time watching the house across the lake with her binoculars, while drinking (she is an alcoholic). The couple across the lake, Katherine and Tom, keep her captivated. Katherine was a former supermodel and Tom is a powerful force to be reckoned with. Eventually, Casey and Katherine become friends. As the story progresses, it becomes clear that not everything is as it seems on the isolated lake in Vermont. The setting, Vermont in the fall, provides a character all in itself.

The longer Casey watches the house, the more concerned she gets about what may happen to Katherine. It seems as though Casey is obsessed with Katherine and the house across the lake, but maybe she has reason to be? The few people left in Casey’s life are worried about her current activities. It does seem as though she is unnecessarily obsessed with the home on the other side of the lake.

As the reader, it was interesting to see the mystery unfold. I don’t want to give too much of a summary in a review for a thriller as I don’t want to give anything away, but it needed some description. I thought the plot twists unfolded slowly and with enough intrigue for me to wonder what in the world was going on. I haven’t read many thrillers, but this one had so many twists that made me scoff out loud while reading. It also gave me the creeps as I read it late at night.

Then when I was swimming in a lake the next day, the major mystery that drives the entire plot and story made me scared for a moment and thankful that I had just finished the book and that I wasn’t going to go back inside and finish it that night, after swimming. That’s all I have to say about it.

If you want an atmospheric fall in new England whodunit kind of story with frequent plot twists that will keep you guessing, then I would recommend The House Across The Lake, which I think works as a summer read, despite it taking place in fall. Though, of course, you can read it anytime of year, but it suits both summer and fall.