connorjdaley's reviews
1100 reviews

The last of the series for me that was waiting to be completed. When the others were all free, this one wasn’t, and as a novella, I didn’t think it was worth a credit. But it was part of that last audible sale for only $2 so I grabbed it. 

This is a novella that showcases the struggles behind getting the Tanaka Institute up and running after the capture of the meg pup at the end of book 1. 

They are struggling with electrical problems, management problems, and especially financial problems. They have no money and the megalodon’s pen needs an awful lot of work. Just like with many real large sharks in captivity, there isn’t enough circulating water for her, and she struggles to survive. Which is obviously a huge issue in itself, but they also have no money to feed her. 

The set up itself is kind of cool, and I’ll be honest, I was definitely thinking about more of the series after some time away from it, but this wasn’t all that great. It seems like the author just can’t leave stuff alone. Outside the institute, one side is covered in sea lions, the other, filled with surfers looking to take advantage of the large waves. Naturally theres a huge great white attacking them. Oh, and a cookie cutter shark bites a diver…because you know, the megalodon isn't enough. Every shark is just super blood thirsty. 

The Meg pup gets some food finally and then they are unexpectedly saved by a huge donor. It just kind of tells you how it ends without revealing anything, which makes it super bland. 

Apparently this story is actually a part one, with at least two more supposed to be coming out, but that seems to have not happened. Or at least not yet. I saw a reviewer on goodreads saying this is just for completionists, and honestly it isn’t necessary at all, so that’s true. 

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the audio of this one! The narration was done by the author, which is always awesome! Other than a couple little tonal things when chapters switched, it all sounded great. 

Pluralities is a journey of identity, self discovery, and the search for inner peace. The main character, sometimes referred to by her mother as just ‘SHE’, wears her she stamp and goes to work every day until one day, the burnout and desire for more becomes far too much to bear. A lucky car ride home from the boy from the froyo stand changes everything. 

The novella features another POV, which is a galactic space prince gone rogue and his sentient ship. He wants to be an adventurer, to forge his own path, and to not be held by the confines of his family. And while this did confuse me a bit (I wasn’t expecting it), I loved that the two stories were perfectly paralleled. 

This does include a sex scene, which is typically not my bag, however this is a scene of awakening and discovery. It’s about feeling, imagining, becoming more. And while I can’t completely understand or empathize, I thought it was done exceptionally well. 

‘SHE’ has never felt like one, she doesn’t think she’s truly a woman. And after this awakening, they still don’t truly know what they are or what they desire to be, but that’s okay. I loved the inclusion of someone further along their own path being included to tenderly be there for all the ups and downs. 

If you’re looking for a resource that does a great job of explaining the feeling, the why, and even the lack of why that people feel while discovering their gender or personhood, this describes it very well. 

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this one! The audio by Ramón de Ocampo was pretty solid! 

The premise for this is that Liam’s mother is a screenwriter for tv. Her big idea gets picked up for the latest Shark Night on the Danger Channel and her big promise is that Liam will NOT have to be the kid inside the tank. Naturally, we know that’s not going to be true. 

As usual, this has all the silliness, the cliffhanger endings, and all the possible scares it could…just like the Goosebumps books. I’m just always curious as to why these separate releases aren’t just GB. He has a very signature style anyway. I wonder if it’s a Stine or a publisher thing. 

This was enjoyable and silly and quick, exactly what I’d want and expect from a Stine read. The only snag for me was the fact that it’s literally called Shark Night (both the book and the channel’s special) and yet the shark has the most limited page time? Especially when other ‘things’ have more. 

Went with the audio for this, Dominic Hoffman did a fine job. 

I read this one for a book club. It was not my pick, and most definitely not something I would have picked up on my own. And while that is the reason why I’m in the book club, I’m just not really sure how to rate it because of that. 

This read like there was no editorial say to tell the author that the story did not need 555 supporting characters. There’s actually so many characters, and so many seeming endless backstories, that I genuinely do not remember any character names other than DoDo. 

The novel is about Chicken Hill and it’s residents. They are primarily Jewish and black, which is mostly what the story is about, however literally every single character gets a name and a backstory. For me it drowned out everything else, and I didn’t think there was any discernible through line for the entire novel. Not really sure about this one, but I don’t think I’d suggest it. 

This is part of the author’s forthcoming A Stitch Between Worlds, but as it also has a live separate release, I wanted to share a review for it here as well. 

This is a futuristic story, taking place in what felt like a Blade Runner-esque Japan, where memory has become the only form of currency. And just like with dollars and cents, where there’s profit, there’s always someone wanting more. The rich covet, investing in people who are referred to as Hard-Drivers, aka those kept safe like a piggy bank of others memories. This has some thriller notes that were reminiscent of the film In Time, and some of the more scifi notes involving memory recall/replay that are hit upon in the movie of the same name, Rememory. 

Felix and Jock are on the run. Wanted by the authoritarian, or perhaps even empirical, OneWorld. The deal they made with the yakuza is only going to keep them safe for some long. The seemingly all-powerful Nagasaki will do anything to remain in power and have memories to spare. 

What follows is a fast paced technothriller that plows straight on into an all out revenge story. The scifi elements lend themselves well to a cyberpunk dystopia, and the central theme made for a unique and addictive read. 

Went with audio on this, Justine Eyre and Holly Palance do a good job. One did the narration when the main character wasn’t involved, which I liked somewhat less, but was still enjoyable. The other, voicing the main character, Frankie, did a fantastic job. 

Death Warrant is the largest TV show of all time. It features people who have chosen to sign up and be killed off for the enjoyment of millions. The seemingly only positive side, the advertisement earned in the episode is paid out to the loved one of their choice. It’s usually in the millions. 

At the novel’s start, Frankie is interested in signing up. She’s a professional mentalist, doing odd jobs mostly, but she does have a bi-weekly night show as well. While she’s not unsuccessful, her brother suffered an accident, where he received brain damage, and therefore he’s hardly scraping by with his old student loans chasing him. So Frankie wants to clear those debts for him forever. The thing is, whether the network decides to work with them or not, they’ve mastered wiping the interviewees memory, so that they’ll have absolutely no memory of the attempt. No desire to re-sign up, and no stressing the supposed day of death. 

This felt similar to Mark Towse’s The Generation Games, while not involving ageism, they both travel down to one of the most extreme natural conclusions to where the world could go. With the growing violence of shows, games, movies, where will the need to outdo eventually take us? And I loved the little tidbits in this one that were somewhat scifi-esque that showed it was near future, while not taking away from the story. 

I really enjoyed how the author does not tell the reader whether or not Frankie was accepted into the program. And when things start going really well for her, and her success is on the rise, it’s always on the back of the readers mind that the big day could be coming. I really thought this was a good showing of how good things come to those who wait, or even, good things are right around the corner if you just hold out. Especially because the TV show itself is just a high paying form of suicide. The twist at the end does kind of subvert my feelings on that being what the author’s actual message was, but I still enjoyed where it led to regardless. 

Huge thanks to Shortwave Media for the physical arc! 

Holy cow. This book was freaking awesome, and so compulsively readable. I know the blurb likens it to Goosebumps already, but it really felt like an amped up, adult version to me. The chapters that flashed forward, featuring different sets of people, all read like Goosebump-infused interludes. And with some pretty horrific outcomes. 

When bong hits and spliffs aren’t enough, best friends, Barry, Lars, Frankie, and Snaps, take a fateful trip to Lars’ sleazy uncle’s house. All for the promise of a great high… through teleportation. Some clearly explained, and rather scientific reasonings linking the story to The Philadelphia Experiment, make the reader buy in immediately. The rest is history. Some dangerous, mutilating, and deadly history. 

The four best friends convince Lars’ uncle to give them a copy of this killer VHS, the ultimate teleportation device, which leads them to make their own copies. The years that follow are different for each of them, but no less gruesome across the four. 

Millican does a great job of creating some unique and awfully gross body horror. And I really enjoyed the evolving and differing scenes he painted in each instance the teleportation goes wrong. Some of them brought to mind the multi-zombie from The Walking Dead: Dead City, and the murderous blob from the end of Evil Dead Rise. 

The single human world, the differing dimensions, infiltration, as well as the ending, really introduced some intriguing and really unique thoughts on how teleportation could possibly work, and how it could go wrong. So while this story was an absolute blast for me, it also introduced some things that I’ll be thinking through for some time. 

Thanks to Cemetery Gates Media for the physical arc! 

This is a rereleased story, that has been updated and elongated along the way from the original. The release also features two forewords, an afterword, as well as extra stories. The additional content from the author was cool as it kind of felt like being included in the know. 

This story has all the makings of something right up my alley. Someone running from a shady past, a small town, one that’s filled with old traditions and dark secrets, and it’s a cop crime story. The opening is eerie and has all the makings of a creepy atmosphere that could have kept the reader guessing. The witness testimony, as well as the evidence tape, could have grown into something really mysterious. 

Unfortunately, this story is quite short, and doesn’t really have the legs to get that atmospheric feeling out there. It relies heavily on the plot, and kind of barrels ahead full throttle until it eventually comes to its short end, petering out. Charlie, while being an interesting character, doesn’t actually have that much to lose, and with it being so short, it kind of feels as if his backstory is just thrown in. 

The ending is rather straight forward, with little to surprise the reader. And while that isn’t always a problem for me, I did feel like it happens just to happen, to have an end. Most of my enjoyment was saved by some of the characters, so while it was short, I didn’t entirely dislike it. 

The short stories that accompany, according to the afterword, all connect in a singular way, or a theme, but for me they still felt kind of just tacked on. Especially with the longer story being the actual release. Again, not always bad, but in this case, unnecessary. I'm not sure if this will be a hit with folks, but if you're looking for a quick crime story this could be it. 

Cassandra Campbell did a great job with the audio, giving life to each character and the horrors that follow. 

A lottery pick they never thought they’d win, Ana and Reid just won a spot at the Deptford. The affordable apartment seems too good to be true, and even after the birth of their first child left Ana paralyzed from the waist down, they decide to accept, regardless of the single elevator and high floor. Moving isn’t easy on anyone, but harbored resentments, a nearly one year old, and perhaps some evilness, all culminate into one wicked transition. 

For me, with the old building, the famous, richer inhabitants, and the down-on-their-luck newbies, this had reminiscent notes of Sager’s Lock Every Door. And while I have not read Salem’s Lot or Rosemary’s Baby (yet), I can tell that those comparison titles are where Cassidy imbues his horror elements over Sager’s thriller feels. And I really enjoyed how the author bleeds anxiety and paranoia into his characters differently. Ana takes on the more literal approach, with her suspecting something is wrong and trying to get away. And then Reid is the slower, irritability that permeates over time. His job, his wife, his friends, the littlest things start to tip him over, and I feel like the author handles that very well. 

This sort of slow burn infestation of fear works really well for this novel. Reid just wants to provide and do what’s best for his family. A few things going terrible wrong? Well that can just be chalked up to the moving stress, can’t it?

While trying to stay as spoiler free as possible, the twist in the end with how each parent differed, did surprise me in the best way and I’m glad I rooted for who I did. I enjoyed this take on the Jewish ‘vampire’ and the inclusion definitely made it something unique. 

Old buildings and history are the heart of NYC, just make sure the ones you move to don’t have a literal heart… 

This is a debut epic fantasy from a new voice in the indie community. I saw the cover and was intrigued, and the author offered me a copy to give it a read. 

This novel has the tone and scope of a classic fantasy. The reader can feel the world is large, rich in history, and that each place fits into the world for a different reason. There is culture, intrigue, and mystery, as well as one hell of an epic opening. 

Lorian, an inquisitor and servant of the aristoi, travels the world seeking out those who break the rules and use forbidden magics. He is a formidable character who, while not entirely likable, sees his way into multiple situations where he is outnumbered our out-powered just to ensure others are safe. 

There is definitely some notes of Martin within the story, where the undead, especially in the winter cold, bring to mind the whitewalkers, however there are some fouler beasts at play here too. And just like with Martin, I do wish the undead being included would have come to more of a head. Especially because I was so interested in them. 

While the opening is huge, the climax of the story is much more about the culmination of threads from earlier and the alleviation of the mystery, than any set of action beats. With that there is additional mystery, as well as room for so much more. This reads like a story spanning weeks/months within a series that could span even years. 

In intriguing debut with an awesome cover, and so much lore that you’re going to need book two immediately.