Reviews

Movie Review: You Won’t Be Alone

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The other day I got to attend a movie screening for a Macedonian film from independent film company Focus Films: You Won’t Be Alone.

If you’ve read my work, I have a love of shapeshifters and people who can take on the appearance of someone or something else. It’s something I’ve always enjoyed working into my novels, from the Stolen series to The Seeking to The Wolves of Kanta series. Imagine my surprise and delight to find this film which portrays a shapeshifter I had never heard of before.

The screening we saw had a multitude of issues, as many who screen foreign films have likely seen before. The poor employees tried multiple times to get subtitles to work, but after three or four stops and starts they gave up. Still the story was so visual and the interactions so visceral, we didn’t need dialogue to understand what was going on.

(We’ll get a screener sent to us soon so we can rewatch with subtitles, so I’ll be coming back to update this post once we do!)

The story follows the birth of a baby who is claimed by a shapeshifting witch despite her mother’s pleas. The mother keeps the girl in a cave I believe out of fear, coming occasionally to wash her face, bring her food, and clean her hair. Once the girl is a teenager, the mother and the witch fight, and soon the girl has a new caretaker—the witch in her mother’s body.

Throughout the film we see the girl abused by the witch, pushed repeatedly away from enjoying living things and instead pushed towards embracing death.

At one of my favorite scenes the witch watches the girl dance among the fireflies. The witch grabs one and pokes at it, trying to get it to move, then gets annoyed when she realizes she’s killed it.

When these two part ways, the girl explores a local village and we get to see the grotesque way that she and the witch shapeshift. This was gruesome but also strangely intimate at the same time, almost reminding me of birth.

This movie is the kind of dark fantasy I truly like and rarely see. It’s amazing to get to see it come to life on film. It doesn’t shy away from sex or gore, but these are simply portrayed as part of everyday life for these creatures. It was amazing to see the kind of story I usually only see written in book form be brought to life on screen. It was powerful, subversive, and strangely empowering.

I honestly can’t recommend this film enough. It was one of those movies I am instantly going to buy on Blu-ray and keep for my collection when it comes out. It’s a feminine, sexual take on a horrific folklore shapeshifter that grabs your attention and refuses to let go. The acting is incredible, the special effects were practical and surprisingly well done, and the set designs were gorgeous and immersive.

If you enjoy dark fantasy movies such as Pan’s Labyrinth or In the Company of Wolves, this is definitely worth checking out!

Merciless Stars

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Merciless Stars
By: Candace Robinson

A story about two sisters who have to work together to solve the corruption in their world? Yes, please!

I’m a sucker for these kinds of sisters against the world stories, and this one was amazing. Robinson once again blends steamy romance with a horrific fantasy world to create a blend that is uniquely hers. I raved about The Bone Valley when I read it last year which has a similar vibe, and while it’s still my favorite book of hers, this one comes very close.

Two sisters, Afton and Silver, who had to claw their way out from under the thumb of their abusive parents are left with the emotional damage and cruelty left behind. They can tap into the magic of their land, transforming themselves in the process. While Silver tends to be the more optimistic of the two, she regularly taps into dark magic, including the land of the dead, from which she pulls a soul to live within a wax body. Her older sister, Afton, took the brunt of the cruelty of their parents and ended up with a lot of anger because of it. She is more cruel, more terse, and more brutal than her sister. Only Silver can bring out the kindness of her sister.

The sisters have their bond to keep them above the horrors of their past, but as they investigate a nearby kingdom and learn of the curse that has befallen it, they soon realize things aren’t what they seem.

I fell in love with Silver almost instantly, and Keelan as well, her wax servant. Once again I find so many characters to root for. This world was so nuanced and so well-built that I could envision the walls of their castle and the grounds where they rode their horses. I was slowly drawn into this unique world, but once I hit the halfway point, it was hard to put down! I’ve learned to expect this from Robinson’s books now!

A wonderful, steamy read with unforgettable world-building, spooky monsters, and layered characters. I recommend it for fans of dark romance and fantastic worlds. Robinson is clearly finding her stride, and I’m very much here for it.

5/5 bloody hearts

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Beyond the Cogs

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Beyond the Cogs

Finished: 12/13/2021

Full disclosure: I was provided a complimentary copy by one of the authors. All opinions are my own.

This collection features three novellas, so I’ll be discussing them individually.

The Soulless Ones by C. Vonzale Lewis

I had the opportunity to be a beta reader for this incredible adventure, and I was absolutely in awe of the changes Lewis was able to incorporate from the rougher draft I read before. She has an incredible knack for creating unique characters and spectacular worlds, and I absolutely love her creativity in this story. It has an Old West feel with a distinct steampunk style and deals with monsters reminiscent of vampires. Her unique style really shines in this story. It’s an absolutely fun read and I truly hope we’ll get more stories about Parasol because I could read a whole collection about her adventures!

The Rogue of Vangard by Nicholas J. Evans

This tale was more abstract and more visually focused so it took a bit for me to warm up to the story and characters. Once we get into a steampunk taxi ride with a law-straddling driver, a stuffy top politician, and our thieving protagonist, the entire story shifts with growing tension. We learn how corrupt the city is that our protagonist is stealing from, we learn how brainwashed the politician is, and how controlled the magic is in this world. The ending is the topping on the cake so I can’t spoil it here, however I was sad to see this unique world end. I grew to love so many characters in such a short few pages. I would love to read more in this world!

Gossamer and Thorns by Elle Beaumont

Now this story was reminiscent of the Vincent Price classics such as Fall of the House of Usher. Wealthy young Kris has fallen in love with Emilie who has a chronic disease. He lives in an abusive home with his father who is obsessed with transferring human souls into automatons. Kris’ father is an even more unbalanced Victor Frankenstein. Admittedly, I don’t usually read romance stories so since Kris and Emilie’s relationship filled the majority of the story, that was a struggle for me. Readers who love a budding romance will probably adore this story. It had some wonderful twists that I didn’t see coming and I was pleasantly surprised by the ending.

Overall this is a strong anthology with only a few authors but with a wide variety of steampunk. As a fan of steampunk (and a dabbler in it myself), I had an absolute blast reading these. Definitely recommended for readers looking to dive into another world for a while. And I’ve found new authors to obsess over.

My rating: 5/5 stars

Between the Quiet

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Between the Quiet
By Candace Robinson

Finished: 8/14/2021

If you’ve followed my book reviews for a while, you’ve probably noticed a number of Candace’s stories on my reading list. I love her mixture of horror or spookiness with lighter storylines. This short story was no exception!

Tuesday is a high schooler who likes to stand on the street corner on Saturdays and be a mime for tips with her best friend Francis. I really loved how Candace digs into the history of mining and shares famous mimes–who do come into play later in the story.

I don’t want to say too much for fear of spoiling things, but it has some major Christmas Carol vibes but with a twist! It’s such a perfect blending of dark and sweet, and I absolutely can’t recommend this story enough!

A sweet holiday story with a beautifully gothic twist.

My rating: 5/5 thumbs up

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The Bone Valley

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Happy Release Day to The Bone Valley! Be sure to grab your copy if this sounds perfect for your October bookshelf!

The Bone Valley
By: Candace Robinson

Finished: 8/23/2021

I’ve read quite a few books by Robinson, and I can enthusiastically say that this one is my favorite! This is perhaps the most intense, grotesque, and beautiful story I’ve read from her, and I had a hard time putting it down!

I really loved Anton, a lover, and Nahli, a thief. They seem like characters whose paths would never cross until things go very, very wrong. Even Daryna, the old witch who lives int he woods, grew on me throughout this tale. Pav, Anton’s little brother, grew on me throughout this tale. At first I didn’t think much of him since he just seemed like he wanted to emulate his brother, but as the tale goes on he gains so much empathy and shows he has such a pure heart. I keep bouncing between Pav and Roka as my favorites, but as of this writing, I have to say the little skeleton meerkat Roka was my absolute fave. I can’t say too much about him without giving things away, but his tragic tale and determined love was touching. And he was such a cute companion to them.

I really can’t gush enough about this book because there were times when I was just blown away by the viciousness, the beauty, the cruelty, and the incredible levels of world-building. I could practically imagine this in a stock-motion animation ala Nightmare Before Christmas at times, and it was gorgeous. Robinson’s imagery and creativity was unmatched in this piece. She has such strength in mixing romantic storylines with horrific and dramatic world building and beautiful character development, but this one is a shining example of her skill. If this wasn’t already obvious, this book should not be missed!

I’ve never read a book like this and would happily devour more books in this style or in this world.

My rating: 5/5 skeletal thumbs up

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