...the Soul of Wit - Short Reviews

Hope you're all having a great summer despite the crazy weather... If you don't enjoy the weather, then I hope you at least enjoy the short reviews of my latest reads, here they are!

The Hacienda by Isabel Cañas

Beatriz, who lost her home and prestige when her father was executed during the Mexican coup, counts herself lucky when Don Rodolfo Solórzano proposes, giving her the prospect of a new home, the Hacienda San Isidro, that she more than anything wishes to own. Nevermind the rumors circulating around his first wife's disappearance.

While Rodolfo returns to work in the city, it is not only his sister Juana that gives Beatriz a hard time, she's also experiencing visions and voices that just might indicate the strange symbols on the door of the estate have a purpose and the superstitions of the staff are more real than she thinks. The only person she can count on in hard times is the hot young priest, Padre Andrés, who is conveniently also a witch ready to battle darkness for her. But is he too good to be true?

I'm so far behind my reviews that I really shouldn't start new books but yeah... You know how it goes. The premise of The Hacienda was so refreshingly appealing and the right amount of cheesy as well as creepy that I was tempted to listen to the audiobook when I had the chance and initially really, truly wanted to just listen into it a little to see how it goes, but suddenly couldn't stop and before you knew it I was done. So, yes, great pacing and a creepy story - didn't get much attached to the characters but I got attached to the setting, the Hacienda. Can't blame Beatriz, I would have loved to own the place too. Plus, I'm really warming up to this genre Mexican Gothic.

The Pisces by Melissa Broder

I had no idea what to expect when starting The Pisces because I refused to read any reviews before reading. And maybe I would advise you do the same - all you need to know is that it's about a woman going through a rough patch in her life, dating and having sex with lots and lots of guys until she finds the love she's looking for in someone really unlikely.
"Whip-smart, neurotically funny, sexy, and above all, fearless" says the cover description and there hasn't been a truer word. In the end, I was maybe a little surprised to find out a paranormal erotica can actually also be touching and substantial. I was more surprised by how much I liked it - even though (or rather because?), despite its absurdness and seeming mundaneness, it also dives a little deeper into the inner world of a woman and her obsession/addiction to love and approval.
I especially enjoyed the therapy group sessions the protagonist attends where women with all sorts of relationship problems and addictions gathered and talked. It was pretty over the top most of the time, but that's what made it hilarious.

Our Wives Under the Sea by Julia Armfield

“My heart is a thin thing, these days - shred of paper blown between the spaces in my ribs.”
I can't get over of how beautiful and imposing Julia Armfield's prose in Our Wives Under the Sea is...
This haunting, atmospheric slow-burn about Miri, whose marine biologist wife Leah has returned changed from one of her undersea missions will probably not satisfy readers who are expecting a full-blown aquatic horror, but will rather appeal to those who are prepared for a study dissecting the human psyche and the various depths of it.
Told in rotation between Miri's and Leah's respective points of view, the plot comes and goes between the tragic present Miri is trying to cope with, her recollections of their past relationship and the events that lead to Leah's accident on the submarine - this novel completely enthralled me.

“To know the ocean, I have always felt, is to recognize the teeth it keeps half hidden.” 

In the beginning, I was still reading to find out what exactly happened on the submarine (even though the consequences were right before my eyes and the consequences reflect the monster in this case) but soon I was so entangled in Miri's melancholy and nostalgia, her “almost” grief so sincere and genuine that after a while it all became secondary.

If you're looking for an unconventional, atmospheric slow burner that tackles themes like grief, loss, transience, this might be your book.

The Babysitter Lives by Stephen Graham Jones

The night before her SATs Charlotte babysits the six-year-old Wilbanks twins and all she wants is to put them to bed early, brush over her study material. The next day is also Halloween and Charlotte doesn't think much about it until the house starts acting weird and there's an unexpected guest at the door. A creepy one.

I was thinking “eh, I don't know, a babysitter slasher?” and ended up in this absolute delightful, twisty fever dream involving baby spiders, a terrifying jack-in-a-box, a family tragedy, time travel/portal houses, evil twins, creepy kids and Sponge Bob. It's an audiobook only production, so I'm not sure if there is or there will be a printed version, but in any case the narration was wonderful too.

Come Closer by Sara Gran

We're following Amanda's life spiraling out of control as she goes through the six stages of demon possession according to Dr. Ray Thomas' groundbreaking work Demon Possession Past and Present:

1. I hear strange noises in my home, especially at night, which family members tell me only occur when I am present.
2. I have new activities and pastimes that seem “out of character,” and I do things that I did not intend and do not understand.
3. I’m short- and ill-tempered with my friends and loved ones.
4. I can understand languages I’ve never studied, and have the ability to know things I couldn’t know through ordinary means.
5. I have blackouts not caused by drugs, alcohol, or a preexisting health condition.
6. I have unusual new thoughts, or hear voices in my head.

Will she be able to save herself?
A nice little book about the horrors of possession, of losing control over your own body. A little more explanation as to the nature of the demon and her background or reasons to possess Amanda would have been nice, but other than that I really enjoyed reading this. Some passages were genuinely terrifying!

And the murder mystery of the month is...  

The Book of Cold Cases by Simone St. James

The Queen of dual timed mysteries is back with her latest thriller and I have been patiently waiting in line for a library copy for weeks! I'm not lying, I waited about seven weeks for this book, so I was naturally excited to get my hands on it. And you know what? It totally paid off.

Meet Shea Collins: receptionist by day, true crime blogger and hobby detective by night. Her obsession is fueled by her own childhood when a man tried to abduct and rape her - a memory she can't shake off. When one day she meets the infamous "Lady Killer" Beth Greer, a rich it-girl who in her youth shot two men seemingly at random, and she accepts Shea's request for an interview, it seems too good to be true.
During their meetings in Beth's mansion, though, things aren't quite right - is Beth a manipulative killer or are there even supernatural forces involved?
Talking about Simone St. James I first and foremost love how she portrays women; whether it is a traumatized receptionist, a rich gal or a student going through a life crisis, they immediately have my interest and attention. Same thing here, especially Beth Greer is simply breathtaking! And I read this whole mystery holding my breath too, it was that good and totally worth the wait.