Lizzie by Edward Rand.

Rating: 2 out of 5 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley, BloodChuckles Press, and Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA), Members' Titles for the Advanced Readers Copy (ARC) of this book.

I have a love-hate relationship with this book.

Firstly, we didn't need over 500 pages to tell us this story, and we didn't need the ADHD that was the first 10 chapters. In the beginning I had no idea what was going on and it took a long time reading to actually understand what was happening. The author would jump around with subjects, treating each like they were his most passionate subjects. However, they would then change the subject only to jump back to it a page later. It was hard to stay focused. On top of it, it's quite clear that this has not been properly edited as there were many mistakes (typos) and I found the authors constant shortening (or nicknaming) of words to be frustrating as I would often have to try and figure out what the lingo was, they were using.

Somehow, I managed to keep reading until the end and it even got interesting a few times.

The one thing I don't understand is why you would name a book about a character that isn't the main character or even the main subject until the last 8th of the book? This is not a book about Lizzie, this is a story about Lizzie's parents and then finally about the little girl. It's also about a lot of other characters and I questioned this often throughout the book. I was disappointed by the end in general.

This has been done before and often a whole lot better.

However, I will give the author credit in his determination. Also, their story-telling skills aren't bad and with a bit of work this unfinished feeling story could be quite brilliant.

It wasn't very scary which also disappointed me, I probably wouldn't recommend this, because it often comes off feeling like it's written by someone under twenty with no life experience.

The sex scenes were very male focused and felt off in the way that it seemed like the writer didn't really know what they were talking about, which is a shame.

All in all, I sometimes enjoyed the read and sometimes it was a struggle to keep going.

The Horror at Pleasant Brook by Kevin Lucia

Thank you to NetGalley and Crystal Lake Publishing for this Advanced Readers Copy of this book.

Four stars out of five (4/5).

Trigger words: Animal death, character death, gore, and violence.

Although it was very similar to a book I've read lately I still found this book to be an enjoyable read, once I got past the surprise of this being another horror with spreading masks and black goo. Same with the idea of the infection sort of making everyone "one" entity.

There were a few errors throughout the novel, usually just simple spelling mistakes or a word missing etc.

It was nothing that made it unreadable.

The Horror at Pleasant Brook is a small-town horror that will leave you on the edge of your seat.

I was sort of disappointed at the end of the novel as it was ended, and not how I expected it to end. But if I were to take stars off a book for that then I wouldn't be able to get any 5-star books.

The book was a little slow to start off, but once it got going it was hard to put it down.

I would recommend this to a friend or my readers and I would probably have bought this if I hadn't got it free as an Advanced Readers Copy. As someone who doesn't get scared often, this kept me on my toes.

Super-Earth Mother: The AI that Engineered a Brave New World by Guy Immega

Thank you to NetGalley and EDGE Science Fiction and Fantasy Publishing for this novel's ARC.

Five Stars and I don't give that score lightly.

Super-Earth Mother is a science fiction novel with a difference. An A.I. controlled spaceship is created on the moon and travels the cold, lonely expanse of space, searching for an Earth-like planet to re-create humanity.

The A.I. isn't really the main character, it's more like the first narrator: God-like and watching.

I really enjoyed reading this novel. The subject was something that I was super interested in and the writing was well enough done that it was easy to read and read rather fast.

There is one triggering feature and that is the cannibalism. I had no problem with it, but others might.

I don't think there's room enough for a second book in a series, but I would read another book by this author.

I would recommend this to family and friends, and would also recommend to my readers.

Merciless Waters by Rae Knowles

Thank you to NetGalley and Brigids Gate Press. LLC for this book's ARC.

4 out of 5 st.,brars.
🌠🌠🌠🌠

The rusalka (plural: rusalki) is a feminine entity, often malicious toward mankind and frequently associated with water. Not unlike the Mermaids, said to be dark spirits wronged by men in life, often the reason for their deaths.

I've always been fascinated with sea creatures, whether they're myths or not.

Aboard the ship Scylla, there is no future or past. Jaq, her fickle lover Lily, and their all-female crew exist in an endless present. It's better this way. At least it keeps Lily by Jaq's side, where she belongs. But the meddling gods care little for Jaq's longing, and despite her protective rituals, their punishment arrives all the same.

I found myself confused when I first started reading as we were just thrown into the middle of it all, with no real oast or introduction to the world or characters. It took me to 50% or more of the book to actually catch on to what was going on, what our girls were and weren't and how everything got this way.

However, once questions started getting answered I caught on and I was able to enjoy this for what it was.

I only really liked one character and that was the snake, Ambrose.

Although, this was a fresh read, I wouldn't pick it up again as I didn't connect with it enough.

Downpour by Christopher Hawkins

Thank you to NetGalley and Christopher Hawkins for this ARC!

4 out of 5 Stars.
🌠🌠🌠🌠

I'm only taking a star off because for about 30 minutes I was just as confused as everyone else in the book.

This was a proper slow burn horror, though it did start off with some coy horror moments there at the beginning, it still was pretty slow to get into things. I found myself too focused on why the main couple were fighting and what she'd done to deserve to be treated like he was treating her.

I almost forgot what I was reading. Almost.

Downpour kept me so rivetted that I forgot I was supposed to cook dinner.

I read this from cover to end in a single sitting, yes, dinner waited.

I've always loved a good biological horror, chemicals and toxic substances the rain always makes for a good realistic horror story, especially with Global Warming and Earth's ecology in a constant statis of change. How can we not be afraid for possible polutants to change our once habitable planet into something inhabitable for us.

This came off as those clouds being some sort for extra terrestrial planet maker, aka a machine to change our planet into something better for alien life. We talk about Terraforming as if it's something that won;t happen. Maybe we won't create it, but there's someone out there that will.

I highly recommend this, it was thoroughly enjoyable.

The book itself is easy to read and I didn't find any noticable plotholes which is lovely.

Worth the read.