A Well-Read Tart

A Food and Book Lover’s Blog

Book Review of THE HOLLOW PLACES

Christ on a cracker. The Hollow Places is one of the most mind-bending, horrifying books I've ever read. I actually let out a low, guttural groan at one point -- that's how disturbed I was by one passage.  It was wonderful.  The Hollow Places isn't my first T. Kingfisher novel, nor will it be my last. I read The Twisted Ones by her last year and I loved it. The Twisted Ones was fantastically creepy, a stomach-clenching, supernatural,...

Book Review of THE DROWNING KIND

The Drowning Kind has made me SO happy that I didn't buy a house with a pond. Or, a lake. Hell, even a pool. Because I am legit now a little creeped out by all bodies of water and what may be lurking beneath the surface.  I've long been a Jennifer McMahon fan, ever since I read The Winter People. McMahon's written numerous novels since then, all of them perfectly entertaining, mysterious, and even a little scary... But I know what you're...

Book Review of GHOSTER

Ghoster isn't a book I'd normally gravitate toward, but I’m glad I picked it up. This novel by Jason Arnopp was put on my radar by a fellow Bookstagrammer who rarely steers me wrong when it comes to thriller recommendations. Right away, Arnopp's clever writing sucked me into Ghoster. The premise is intriguing -- a woman is suddenly “ghosted” (translation: abandoned) by her boyfriend Scott right before they're supposed to move in together...

Book Review of THE LOST VILLAGE

The Lost Village is an excellent example of why I really, really dislike organized religion. Of course, I fully understand and acknowledge that not every religion turns into a cult. But the framework is there, and The Lost Village makes you realize just how easily the tide can turn with the right (or wrong) person to lead it. Despite that, I love a good cult story and an atmospheric creepy thriller, and this debut novel by Camilla Sten delivers...

Book Review of A DISCOVERY OF WITCHES

I'm just going to come out and say it. **deep breath** A Discovery of Witches is Twilight for adults. **cringes** And y'know what? I liked Twilight better. **ducks as A Discovery of Witches fans throw things at her**  C’mon, people! I can't be the first person to draw parallels between Deborah Harkness’ series and the wildly popular vampire books by Stephenie Meyer. SO MUCH of what happens in A Discovery of Witches, the first book in...

Book Review of WHEN NO ONE IS WATCHING

It took me awhile to shake off everything that happens in When No One Is Watching. This is the type of thriller that stays with you long after you turn the last page. Because even though Alyssa Cole's novel is a work of fiction, it's all too easy to see how fiction is spun out of facts. I picked up When No One Is Watching expecting something akin to a domestic suspense. Nevermind that I read the back cover description and sorta-kinda-shoulda...

Book Review of HIDDEN PICTURES

Hello, Tartlets! I'm so excited to be part of the blog tour for Hidden Pictures. Because I seriously loved this book. (Whew! What a relief. It would've been totally awkward to be part of a blog tour for a book I hated.) Billed as "The Haunting of Hill House meets The Perfect Nanny," this supernatural thriller by Jason Rekulak surpassed all the expectations I had for it. I ripped through Hidden Pictures in just two days. TWO DAYS! Every spare...

Book Review of THE BONE HOUSES

The Bone Houses has one of the best first lines I've ever read: "The evening air smelled pleasantly of a fresh grave." I mean, come on. HOW CAN YOU NOT GET SUCKED IN BY THAT? Talk about imagery. Take notes, fellow writers. This is just one example of author Emily Lloyd-Jones's beautiful writing in this young adult historical fiction/ fantasy / horror novel mash-up. Lloyd-Jones has mastered the art of being evocative enough to immerse you in the...

Book Review of THE PLOT

You're getting two books in one with The Plot, a story about a novelist who steals an idea from a student, becomes a bestselling author, and then is stalked by someone who wants to reveal "the truth" that the idea for his bestselling novel wasn't his. The majority of the The Plot follows fictional author Jacob Finch Bonner, the "idea stealer," but we also see a fair bit of the story Bonner writes based on the "stolen idea." Yeah, you noticing...

Book Review of THE INVISIBLE LIFE OF ADDIE LA RUE

The Invisble Life of Addie La Rue was another different type of read for me: fantasy. This creative story by V.E. Schwab is rich and complex; it’s detailed and emotional; it’s sweet and exciting. There are SO many things going on in this behemoth of a novel that it’s hard to pinpoint what to talk about. Let’s start at the beginning, which I actually didn’t love. The Invisible Life of Addie La Rue is slow to start. There’s a lot of...