RaveThe San Francisco Book ReviewSilvia Moreno-Garcia proved her gift for haunting storytelling in Mexican Gothic and Velvet Was the Night, and she takes her talents to a whole new level in The Daughter of Doctor Moreau. Her writing transports readers right into the jungle and the eerie, isolated world of Carlota and her father. Though I have not read HG Wells’ The Island of Doctor Moreau, I have no doubt that Moreno-Garcia’s retelling is the perfect modern-day tribute with a feminist spin. Gothic in the best sense, with creative sci-fi twists and characters full of passion, The Daughter of Doctor Moreau is a gripping tale for readers of all kinds.
John Marrs
RaveThe Seattle Book ReviewMarrs launches readers into a world with seemingly simple characters who embark on a unique and thrilling adventure. The Minders is the perfect poolside read, keeping you so engrossed that you might just forget that you’ve been reading long past the time when you should have put on that extra layer of sunscreen.
Sara Foster
RaveSeattle Book ReviewSara Foster treats the classic unreliable narrator trope with originality, painting Eleanor as enigmatic yet intriguing. The flashbacks between Eleanor’s past and present are never discombobulating and instead are weaved perfectly to create layers of storyline that all add up to one suspenseful yet satisfying ending. Adding to these swirling tensions is the stark contrast between the two settings of the rural Australian outback and bustling London, both described so eloquently that readers can vividly imagine being in each place. The Hidden Hours is evasive yet approachable, making it the perfect thriller to breeze through and then ponder about long after putting it down.
Nick Hornby
RaveSan Francisco Book ReviewHornby crafts an artful narrative about love and living in the moment ... While a contemporary romance at its surface, Just Like You offers a glimpse into British politics, existentialism, and social stigmas, making it more than your average chick lit novel. The prose moves with quick-witted pacing, and the interactions between Joseph and Lucy provide humor as well as warm fuzzies. The unpredictable ending offers numerous implications for readers, again taking it one step beyond the expectations for a novel of this genre. Overall, an interesting and fast read that will give readers something to chew on, even days after finishing the book.
Shari Lapena
PositiveSan Francisco Book ReviewAs the title suggests, in any good whodunnit, the killer is always someone we know. But this novel, set in a neighborhood full of suspicious characters with various motives, makes unraveling the identity of the murderer nearly impossible ... While I felt Lapena’s previous books relied too heavily upon absurdities in order to \'twist\' the final ending, her use of small pockets of perspective from each character in Someone We Know works effectively to create a constant of doubt. Though at times it does feel as though we may be hearing from one too many individuals, muddling the ability to gauge the importance of certain characters, the eerie premonition of what is to come that it evokes makes the confusion all worth the while.
Stephen King
PositiveSeattle Book Review\"Though it strayed from Stephen King’s usual writing genre, Elevation offers a heartfelt vignette of the portrait of a man’s life ... Though the characters are a bit cookie-cutter, the plot takes some interesting turns and leaves some pleasantly ponderous implications for readers. As it is a novella, the story goes by quickly, but it showcases a new and introspective side of Stephen King—a story where an eccentric scientific phenomenon takes the backseat to an evaluation of human ephemerality.\
