justinkhchen's reviews
517 reviews

Campy b-horror slasher done right, Candy Cain Kills is a lot of fun when one's in the mood for a themed violent romp with nonstop creative kills. The novella length is perfect at keeping the action moving, and Brian McAuley manged to squeeze in a lot of character development by constantly switching POVs — the cast has way more personality and backstory than I expected (some of the demises tugged at my heartstrings). The villain is also creatively conceived; not only is there a slight twist near the end, it is also set up for more potential rampage down the road. Overall, Candy Cain Kills is not only very on-theme, but also jammed-packed with retro slasher goodies — exactly what I was seeking! 

Lisa Unger might be my new go-to author for fun, popcorn mystery thrillers, Secluded Cabin Sleeps Six was a novel when asked which thriller tropes it wanted, it replied 'yes' (and I enjoyed its chaos nevertheless). The New Couple in 5B is fortunately more tightly constructed, taking a restrained approach in term of location (centering around the apartment building) and the size of the ensemble cast.

It is easy to be critical of the plot, especially towards its last act, where it decidedly takes a less ambitious, domestic conflict route, rather than leaning into the lineage and energy of a place as it was hinting at in the beginning. Still, it does contain all the elements I enjoy reading about (building with history, an author protagonist, questionable neighbors, New York theater scene...), Lisa Unger's writing is effortlessly consumable without missing on style, and the consistent pacing keeps one checked-in (even though certain perspective in hindsight does feel very filler-y). Yes the characters are basic and vanilla, but they are also unchallenging and familiar, and I can slip into their stereotypical psyche like worn gloves.

Comparing apples-to-apples, this tale of 'a couple moving into a too-good-to-be-true apartment' is nothing next to Nestlings by Nat Cassidy, which boasts bespoke characters, vivid imagery, and a compelling underlying theme. The New Couple in 5B is just surface level fun, and I'm all for it. 

The thrilling last act made up for the dragged-out buildup, The Midnight Feast started off on shaky ground; while I enjoyed the luxury resort setting, and all the thriller must-haves (multiple POVs, multiple timelines, etc.), I found the character voices a little monotonous, and being constantly irritated by a particular writing choice. But in the end it did win me over with a satisfying closure, and the page-turning adrenaline I was seeking in a fun summer read.

The characters were intentionally unlikable—even the ones who turned out to be sympathetic were kept pretty aloof in order to spread suspicion. While this was a valid strategy to generate suspense, in execution Lucy Foley may have withheld some empathetic details for far too long, to the point I was not emotionally invested in the happenings, thereby dampening my desire to return to the novel.

Sadly The Midnight Feast also contained one of my pet peeve in fiction writing—using unrealistically detailed 'diary entries' as a storytelling device. These entries contained publication-worthy prose, documented every critical moment / dialog per verbatim—and supposedly written by a teenager. Intermixed between chapters, these poorly disguised flashbacks were the least successful aspect; would've preferred just a straightforward first-person or third-person point of view to get the information across.

To my (surprised) delight, the second half of the novel (particularly the last 30%) really ramped up on the action and reveal, and the connections mostly justified the glacier pace beforehand. Even though it wasn't difficult to detect plot holes aplenty (there was definitely a more civilized way to resolve the novel's central conflict), the melodramatic, unhinged chaos created enough dopamine-filled distraction that I was more than willing to disregard the lack of realism.

All in all, The Midnight Feast ended on a high, but preceded by a pretty uneven thriller experience. One's satisfaction will greatly depend on how one rate the payoff, but personally this is a step-up from The Paris Apartment, with better atmosphere, more well-rounded lore, and a better spread of character archetypes. Even though this hasn't quite made me a Lucy Foley convert, but it is moving in the right direction.

**This ARC was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Much appreciated!**

A decent, serviceable historical romance, but not much else, there are a lot of appealing elements in An Earl to Remember, but they never elevate beyond lukewarm pleasantries towards something more heartfelt or impactful: the references to movie Overboard, the comedic scenes with the amnesiac earl, the steam (possibly the most stimulating aspect of this novel), as well as details about the heroine's relationship with her family and her passion (I would never complain when a book dive deep into food and cuisine). Yet the sum of its part feels a little 'safe' and expected, therefore leaving me rather unfulfilled at the end—I did not hate the experience, but I also feel like I would not have missed out on anything have I not picked it up.

**This ARC was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Much appreciated!**

Delightfully evolved into something unexpected, judging by its creepy cover, I was expecting Diavola to be dark and atmospheric — a 'serious' horror novel. So as the story progressed, I was taken aback (in a good way) by the gradual emergence of its manic humor. If you don't want comedy in your horror, this will likely throw you off, but the combo totally subverted my expectation and worked.

Kudos to Jennifer Marie Thorne for creating this cast of memorable characters: the protagonist is flawed but completely relatable (such a Millennial!) — we also happened to share a similar profession; the bit regarding hot dog killed me in its absurdity and accuracy. And the family members surrounding her are fully rendered as people I love to hate (I wouldn't have mind one bit if the novel gave them even worse outcome by the end).

Diavola ended up delivering what I wanted, and more — the European haunted house vibe was spot on, the addition of an over-the-top dysfunctional family drama, and the almost 'buddy comedy' feel towards the end really made this a great summer horror read. I listened to the excellently narrated audiobook, which further added to the immersion.

**The Book Troop Book Club May 2024 Selection**

Female Rage: The Novel, The Eyes Are the Best Part is a ferociously told, surrealist story centering around the female experience of a Korean-American collage student. As an Asian first-gen immigrant myself, I greatly resonated with Monika Kim's depiction of the breakdown of a nuclear family in a foreign land, as well as various forms of racism in America.

Even though it is marketed primarily as horror, the first half of the novel reads more like a brutally candid character study with a dash of the macabre. I've seen The Eyes Are the Best Part's marketing material mentioning Michelle Zauner's Crying in H-Mart, and that is actually a very spot-on reference point for this portion of the narrative. The horror and violence does amp up drastically in its later half, offering numerous instances of nightmare-inducing visual (I will not be seeing eyeball the same way after this).

The one critique I have is regarding its conclusion, which feels a bit like the author simply ran out of steam — various plot details are explained away in quick succession with great amount of convenience, and I would've preferred to have what was suggested in its open-endedness actually depicted on page.

Despite the slight premature ending, as a whole The Eyes Are the Best Part hits home emotionally, I sympathize with the rage and pain of its female protagonist, and they are expressed with blood-dripping style and gusto. Maeve Fly by CJ Leede comes to mind as a comparable (but also vastly different) reading experience.