Sorrowland by Rivers Solomon
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Cronin’s The Passage meets M. Night Shyamalan’s The Village in this twisty, heart wrenching monster tale that often left me confused to which time period this book was set. It starts with the main character, Vern, on the run, making it sound like she is an escaped slave fleeing from her master and his hounds, add then the brutal solo birth of her twin babies, and this definitely has to be 19th century. Then there are the civil rights references and the cult-like, commune environment of the Blessed Acres, reminiscent of the 1960s and ‘70s, and you start to form another picture in your head, but it’s still hard to reconcile these happenings with the present day. However, even further in the story you realize that this is, in fact, playing out in the 21st century and begins to sink in, the depth and magnitude of the story.

An extreme range of emotions can be felt when turning the pages, from anxiety when Vern leaves the twins, to anger at the treatment Vern receives at the hands of her family back on the compound. The excitement experienced during some of the steamier moments played out are undeniable, and then quickly expunged with the images of pain used to describe Vern’s mysterious and gruesome transformation. Prepare for your imagination to run amok as it conjures images of a Kafka-esque metamorphosis that doesn’t even scratch the surface of the horrors unveiled.

There is so much to unpack with this novel and I think it would take multiple readings to catch everything. While there are some spots that drag a bit and it’s a bit more risqué than I tend to read, the overall storytelling and imagery make this a worthwhile read.

I received an advanced copy of this book from its publisher. The opinions are my own.

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The Dark Hour by K.J. Young


The entire mood of this book is as if you picked up a yellowing copy of a campy pulp fiction novel, the entire story played out in sepia tones. You can smell the musty pages as you turn each one rapidly, your heart pounding as you read each line of predictable but thrilling text. It’s a ghoulish and disturbing narrative set in the 1970s, a life of archaic isolation, before everyone was connected via cellphones and computers. It all lends to the creepiness and validity of the events that unfold, including a glaring abject lesson that further highlights the downfall of the “Me Decade”. With creepy cultish imagery and the built-in macabre of the ailing and aging characters, this is good old-fashioned horror at its finest.

I received an advanced copy of this book from its publisher. The opinions are my own.

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Libertie by Kaitlyn Greenidge
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

What started out as an interesting historical fiction account of a black woman doctor as told by her daughter, ended up becoming a long, drawn-out, rebellious identity crisis that comes to a blunt and unsatisfying conclusion. The storytelling was there, but the plot tended to wander without ambition and no apparent objection. All the components needed to create a compelling narrative were there: fascinating characters, a time period ripe with potential, and an entire “lifetime” to play out on the page. Numerous experiences were glossed over that, if expounded upon, could have enriched the storyline, instead drawing out the more dull moments and adding miscellany that could have been omitted.

The synopsis held so much promise but did not deliver.

Algonquin Books gifted me an advanced copy of this book. The opinions are my own.

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