Chaos & Confetti

I come to you all with a heavy heart.  While I pride myself as an avid reader and lover of books, I must sadly say that I only finished two books the entire month of November.  Shame!  It’s not that I didn’t want to read more, but life kept filling my schedule and pulling me in so many directions.  I may be far past my books-read goal for the year, but that doesn’t mean I want to just not read.  Alas!  I will simply have to pray that December proves a more literary fruitful month.

On the brightside, I did finally get around to reading some comics during November.  Despite my busy schedule, it is a bit easier to squeeze in a random issue here and there, which suddenly becomes a whole trade paperback volume read.  It may not be a lot, but I’ll count my small victories where I can.

As always, books will be rated on a 1 – 5 star scale with 1 being bad, 2 being meh, 3 being good, 4 being great, and 5 being absolutely excellent.  If you enjoy what you see and don’t want to wait until the next book post, please follow us on Goodreads.  We’ll stay consistently updated there before compiling our month’s reading and thoughts here.

The comics I have read will also be included at the end of the post.  Those will just be listed and not officially reviewed.  However, if you ever want to hear about any specific comic in particular or want my thoughts, don’t be afraid to ask.  I enjoy discussing everything I read. 

Let’s Go!

The Night Parade by Ronald Malfi – 3/5 Stars

David Arlen is on the run with his daughter Ellie.  David is desperate to keep his daughter away from those who would experiment on her in hopes of finding a cure to a disease that is slowly overtaking the world around them.  Wander’s Folly is an illness that causes hallucinations, delusion, and death.  David seeks safety for himself and his daughter, but he’ll soon learn the disease isn’t the only thing to fear out there.

The Night Parade gives readers a story driven by the relatable motive of wanting to protect one’s loved ones at all costs.  The novel contains an interesting premise and the slow reveals about both the disease and David Arlen’s past work well as a whole.

At times the novel does slow down a bit and at others, plot point feel included simply to have more happen in the book.  The best part of the book is David’s quest to protect his daughter and the hard decisions he has to make along the way.

The Night Parade is recommended for those who enjoy slow builds and reveals, stories of parental care, tense plots, and post-apocalyptic novels.   

You Shouldn’t Have Come Here by Jeneva Rose – 3.5/5 Stars

Grace Evans is a city girl seeking escape by going to an Airbnb in the middle of nowhere.  Calvin Wells has taken over his deceased parents’ ranch, recently opening it to guests.  The two come from completely different walks of life, but their connection is undeniable.  Unfortunately, both have secrets and reasons to be wary of one another.  Their romance will either be the stuff of dreams or nightmare, but it’ll be anything but normal.

Jeneva Rose crafted a book that could easily be mistaken for a Hallmark-esque romance, if not for the constant tension and dread lurks just beneath the surface of every page.  Despite Grace and Calvin sharing the role of narrator, alternating between chapters, both give just enough to give readers a taste of who they are, but never enough to feel fully known.

Readers will be torn on whether to root for the lovebirds or to want them as far apart as possible.  The novel keeps readers waiting for the other shoe to drop, and also guessing on where the danger truly is: inside or outside of the relationship.

Certain plot points and passages will feel a little cheesy and forced, but they can be forgiven as slight parodies of the romance drama they are inspired by.  Readers may roll their eyes a little, but it won’t be long until they are once again evaluating every source of danger.

The books ending is decent, but also feels a bit forced and over the top in a way that is less enjoyable and easily forgiven.  Aspects of characterization feel a bit more stripped away and substituted for cliché.  

Overall, You Shouldn’t Have Come Here is a solid book that should have readers devouring pages.  I would recommend it for those who love romance and horror, like lurking dread and tension, and bask in the woes of difficult relationships.

Comics Read:

• Avengers vol. 11: History’s Mightiest Heroes by Jason Aaron
• Captain America: Symbol of Truth vol. 1: Homeland by Tochi Onyebuchi
• Hulk vol. 1: Smashtonaut! by Donny Cates
• Spider-Man: Spider’s Shadow by Chip Zdarsky
• The Starlings – Episode 1: Airborne by David Vance