Strange Bedfellows

 Amanda Mortlock

Rating: ⭐⭐ ½
Genre: Romance + Fantasy

Strange Bedfellows has a very interesting premise, which is why the book caught my attention, and I decided to get it from NetGalley. The story is about a girl (Cleo) who can transform into a cat. She takes the form of the cat of her new love interest, Wes, who is also a witch! Their pets also have their own POVs and the story gets more complicated when Cleo decides that she wants to know what Wes is hiding. 

Multiple POVs are not my favorite thing in fiction, but I have no problem with it if it is well implemented. I usually don't have much trouble with multiple POVs, especially when the character's name is clearly given at the beginning of each chapter, but somehow I still found myself getting more confused the further I got into the book. The multiple plot threads, supernatural elements, and new ideas being introduced made tracking everything become a chore. The book seems to assume that adding more and more ideas will make the story more interesting, but it may have the opposite effect when those ideas aren't given enough room to develop. At some point I found myself trying to remember who was connected to whom rather than simply enjoying the story.

I can’t say I enjoyed the romance side of the story. I never felt much chemistry between the characters. I think it is very hard to be invested in their relationship when that chemistry is lacking. Another thing is that despite being an adult story, it gave me the vibes of YA books. This is not a bad thing, but it is not what I was expecting. I also feel a little more character development would have made a difference. 

If I have to pinpoint the biggest issue of the book, it would be its worldbuilding. There are many interesting concepts, yet they are not built upon or explained to make the fantasy side of the story work or make sense. There may be a good story buried underneath all these ideas, but for me there were just too many of them competing for attention. The original premise was interesting enough to get me to pick up the book, but the more I read, the less it worked for me.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the ARC of this book.

Key Themes

• Love
• Transformation
• Identity
• Magic
• Friendship
• Power

Out of Body

Chris Vanjonack

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐
Genre: Horror + Short Stories

Out of Body is a collection of short stories with a horror theme. The stories had some very interesting concepts, and that was most probably the biggest reason why I kept reading and being invested in them. I think the author had quite creative ideas combined with interesting situations. So I can say there was definitely enough originality to keep things interesting.

Unfortunately, I feel the horror side of these stories was not quite what I was hoping for. I went into this expecting something that would feel more genuinely creepy or unsettling, but the horror elements didn't have quite the impact I was hoping for. It felt more like a collection of fast-paced speculative stories with some horror mixed in.

The stories move very fast. Sometimes they moved so quickly that I felt like I had to run while reading them, if you know what I mean. I also didn't think the open ending worked for every story. Leaving some things unresolved can be effective, but when so many stories don't really give you a resolution, I started asking myself, "What's the point?" In some cases, I wanted just a little more closure.

Overall, this is a book with excellent concepts, and I recommend it for a one-time read to experience these ideas. The writing style is simple and easy to follow. If not for the writing or the stories, I feel the concepts used here will keep readers and fans of the horror and science fiction genres engaged and invested. I would give it a solid 3-star rating. I just wish I loved it more. 

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the ARC of this book.

Key Themes:

• Identity
• Death
• After Death
• Morality
• Grief
• Loss

I Am the Monster Under the Bed

Emily Zinnikas

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐
Genre: Horror + Mystery Thriller

I Am the Monster Under the Bed is the story of Willa, who returns to her hometown years after a devastating massacre that left her as the only survivor. As she tries to confront what happened, memories of the strange entity that visited her under her bed as a child begin to resurface, while the mysteries surrounding the town, the forest, and the killings gradually come back into focus.

I went into this expecting a horror novel, but for me, it worked much better as a mystery thriller with supernatural elements. Surprisingly, I found the atmosphere rather lacking for a horror story. There are certainly some creepy ideas and moments, but I never felt that sustained sense of dread or unease that I look for in horror. The book's premise is probably its strongest element, particularly the idea of a childhood "monster" that may be something considerably more complicated than a child's imagination.

My bigger issue was that there are simply too many ideas packed into the story. There is enough material here for a very intriguing supernatural mystery, but the novel keeps introducing additional concepts and plot threads, which made the overall story feel somewhat scattered. The pacing also felt uneven throughout—some sections moved nicely, followed by stretches that felt much slower than they needed to be. I kept waiting for everything to come together in a more satisfying way.

There were a few genuinely interesting moments, and I can see why the premise has appealed to so many readers. Unfortunately, those moments were too sporadic to push the book into like or love territory for me. It wasn't a bad read, but it never quite became the atmospheric horror story I was hoping for, nor did the mystery fully compensate for that. A decent 3-star read with an interesting premise that ultimately felt more ambitious than successful.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the ARC of this book.

Key Themes

• Guilt
• Trauma
• Memory
• Fear
• Isolation
• Secrets