{Review} TRIGGER WARNING: SHORT FICTIONS AND DISTURBANCES by Neil Gaiman

ISBN #: 978-0062330260

Page Count: 352

Copyright: February 3, 2015

Publisher: William Morrow

Book Description:

(Taken from Amazon)

Trigger Warning explores the masks we all wear and the people we are beneath them to reveal our vulnerabilities and our truest selves. Here is a rich cornucopia of horror and ghosts stories, science fiction and fairy tales, fabulism and poetry that explore the realm of experience and emotion. In Adventure Story—a thematic companion to The Ocean at the End of the Lane—Gaiman ponders death and the way people take their stories with them when they die. His social media experience A Calendar of Tales are short takes inspired by replies to fan tweets about the months of the year—stories of pirates and the March winds, an igloo made of books, and a Mother’s Day card that portends disturbances in the universe. Gaiman offers his own ingenious spin on Sherlock Holmes in his award-nominated mystery tale The Case of Death and Honey. And Click-Clack the Rattlebag explains the creaks and clatter we hear when we’re all alone in the darkness.

A sophisticated writer whose creative genius is unparalleled, Gaiman entrances with his literary alchemy, transporting us deep into the realm of imagination, where the fantastical becomes real and the everyday incandescent. Full of wonder and terror, surprises and amusements, Trigger Warning is a treasury of delights that engage the mind, stir the heart, and shake the soul from one of the most unique and popular literary artists of our day.

Mandy's Review:

Confession: I've never read a Neil Gaiman book before.

I've seen all the fandom comments about his works, but I've never jumped on the bandwagon. When I was offered a chance to review his latest, TRIGGER WARNING, I figured now was my opportunity to see what all the fuss was about. And, if I didn't like it, at least I didn't pay for the book. So, it was with great anticipation that I read ...

If you don't know what the phrase "trigger warning" means, it is a caution to people. It mentally prepares them that something they encounter (i.e. images, ideas, a book, a program) could upset them and trigger flashbacks or anxiety or terror. In his Introduction, Neil Gaiman wondered if someone would one day put a trigger warning on his fiction ... so he decided to do it first.

The book is a hodgepodge of ideas and genres. The same theme does not run throughout and I like that. It gave me the perfect sampling of Gaiman's literary creativeness that helped me to decide whether or not he's worth another read. I'll cover a few of TRIGGER WARNING's stories in this review but you'll have to read the book for yourself if you want an opinion on all of them.

The Thing About Cassandra was the first story that intrigued me and made me want to know more. You begin reading about Stuart and then finish up with Cassandra. It's a constant tug-o-war wondering who's real and who isn't until you get to the end, then you're just left wondering what the heck happened and how. What abilities does the last person standing have and how did they get them? Are they cursed? Are they good or evil? Are they lonely or do they prefer to live this way?

It was good to visit my old friend Holmes in The Case of Death and Honey. It was a classic, seemingly unsolvable whodunit, with just a slight twist of difference and originality. Holmes, of course, shined bright and solved the case - and is now on a mission to find Watson before it's too late.

I've never thought about what it'd be like to visit a holy city. Will the overwhelming religious vibrations affect how you think and act? Will the past come crashing down on you changing the very person you are? In Jerusalem, Gaiman explores what changes visiting a holy city might make on a person's psyche and, in turn, their behavior.

Finally, my favorite of the bunch, Feminine Endings. It begins as a love letter. The writer's adoration of his love is apparent. The sweetness of the letter turns questionable partway through. Does the recipient even know the writer? Have the two ever interacted? Towards the end, the writer seems a bit stalkerish and unstable. It's quite disturbing how, throughout the course of one letter, a person can appear innocent and sane only to end up scary and avoidable. I loved it.

I didn't care for all of the stories in this anthology, but I think that's the beauty of something like this. You don't have to like all of selections. It did give me enough insight into who Neil Gaiman is as a writer to know that I would love to give another of his darker novels a chance. I'm not quite on the bandwagon but my foot is on the step. =)


*A hardcopy was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

{Review} THE GIRL WITH A CLOCK FOR A HEART by Peter Swanson

ISBN #: 978-0062267504

Page Count: 304

Copyright: January 6, 2015

Publisher: William Morrow Paperbacks; Reprint Edition

Book Summary:

(Taken from Amazon)

On an ordinary Friday evening at his favorite Boston tavern, George Foss’s comfortable, predictable life is shattered when a beautiful woman sits down at the bar, a woman who vanished without a trace twenty years ago.

Liana Dector isn’t just an ex-girlfriend, the first love George couldn’t quite forget. She’s also a dangerous enigma and quite possibly a cold-blooded killer wanted by the police. Suddenly, she’s back and she needs George’s help. Ruthless men believe she stole some money . . . and they will do whatever it takes to get it back.

George knows Liana is trouble. But he can’t say no, he never could, so he makes a choice that will plunge him into a terrifying whirlpool of lies, secrets, betrayal, and murder from which there is no sure escape.

Bold and masterful, full of malicious foreboding and subtle surprises, The Girl with a Clock for a Heart is an addictive, nonstop thriller, an ever-tightening coil of suspense that grips you right up to its electrifying end.

Lupe's Review:

What can you say about George Foss? Nothing, really. His life is pretty uneventful and he had stayed pretty much the same since college. Except in college, something crazy happened that changed to be the man he is today. When his past and present collide, can George continue to be the man he was before?

Ok so this was....meh. I mean, it was quick paced and thrilling, which I liked, but lacked character development with the Main character, which I didn't like. I also hated the ending. I really can't stand books that give you a "reader gets to imagine what really happened" ending. Just tell me. I hate that crap. But the actual story of George's college sweetheart, who he thought had died, but didn't and is instead wanted for murder and goes on the run, was pretty captivating. I actually really liked Liana, but I do wish George wasn't such a dope. Like, there are so many times where I just wanted to slap him and be like "WAKE UP MAN!!!!" But alas, it was fruitless. And I think that was another reason I hated the ending. It was just...Ugh. Really frustrating.

I gave it a decent rating on Goodreads though because the story and its twists and turns were done well enough that I was motivated to keep turning the pages so I could find out what happened next.

*a physical copy of the book was given by the publisher in exchange for an honest review

{Review} ONE STEP TOO FAR by Tina Seskis

ISBN #: 978-0062340078

Page Count: 304

Release Date: January 27, 2015

Publisher: William Morrow

Book Summary:

(As provided by the publisher)

ONE STEP TOO FAR, a revelatory, vivid, impossible-to-put-down debut novel by British writer Tina Seskis, tells the story of a young woman with a seemingly perfect life who one day just walks away from it all without explanation, taking great pains to leave no trace.

After hiding out in a squalid shared house and eventually befriending a fast-and-loose party girl named Angel, Cat's transformation from loving mother and wife into a glamorous, dazzling it-girl is soon complete. But as much as she tries to hide her past behind drugs and designer clothes, it's clear that something - the memory of some person or event - is haunting her. As a mystery date looms, Cat's life takes another dramatic wrong turn, and she's finally forced to confront her demons.

Mandy's Review:

Sometimes one step (whether physical, mental, spiritual, etc.) is all we need to propel us into a new situation. Sometimes one step is one step too much and we find ourselves in a situation gone horribly wrong and we struggle to find our way out of it. Sometimes all we can do is take things one step at a time to work our way through something so traumatic we feel as if we'll never find our way out.

One step. Two little words yet they hold so much potential ... for good and bad. It's a horrible feeling, though, when you realize you've gone one step too far. You've done too much and now you must live with the consequences.

Emily is struggling with this same concept. One too many steps was taken and now she's found herself inside a living nightmare. All of the good she has in her life is now changing into evil forces combating her and she's struggling to survive, to breathe, to live. The only way she can figure out how to do that while keeping her sanity is to leave the life she knows and find someplace to start all over again. But we all know you can't run away from your problems and, as much as Emily strives to be an alternate persona, her past does catch up with her and she finally has to deal with everything she tried so hard to avoid.

Ben, Emily's husband, is affected by the same nightmare Emily finds herself in but he deals with it in a different way. He tries to find some semblance of normalcy by returning to work and getting back to a daily routine. When Emily leaves him, he's devastated and tries desperately to find her.

Angel has her own story to tell with her various "uncles" and kleptomaniac tendencies (which the reader does get to know throughout the novel), but she befriends Emily (Cat) straight away and they become forever-friends.

This novel was as addictive as cocaine was to Angel. I didn't want to put it down. While reading, I would easily forget about any responsibilities I had to take care of. I was desperate to know Emily's secret. What was so significant about the upcoming anniversary? What did a corner liquor store have to do with anything? Who exactly is Charlie? The author keeps you guessing most of the way through and I loved it. What I thought would be Emily's secret wasn't. I liked that I was wrong. Predictable novels sometimes annoy me.


*A physical ARC of this novel was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.