Candace Robinson

Review: Lyrics & Curses

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Lyrics & Curses
By Candace Robinson

Finished: 12/11/2020

I’m a big fan of Candace’s work, and although this one was slow to get started, the final half makes up for it! I think part of it for me was the focus on the romance during the first half. While I don’t mind romance, I tend to prefer it as a side plot rather than the main plot, and I wanted to dive into the fantastic elements earlier. That’s my own preference though.

The concept of getting trapped in a mirror world and having to watch doppelgängers take over your life is fascinating! I loved the whole world-building and mechanics of that and would have loved to see it explored more.

While this was a great read with some fascinating elements, the slow build at the beginning was a little difficult for me. Folks who love sweet romances with some eerie and fantastic elements will definitely love this book! And as usual, Candace does not disappoint with the finale.

I’m really curious to see where this goes in the sequel!

My Rating: 4.5/5 stars!

Review: Lullaby of Flames

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Finished 4/9/2020

I went in completely blind on this short story, which is how I prefer to experience a story to be honest, so I had no idea what to expect. I didn’t expect our teenage lead, Cori, to fall down a pit into Hell.

This story took a number of unexpected twists and turns, and had a number of characters I really enjoyed, such as Rigel and Lilith. Cori was great from beginning to end though despite her big mistake, and speaking of, wow this ending!

Candace Robinson’s stories are always so creative and this was no exception. I seriously don’t know how she dreams up these stories, but I’m here for them!

This is a great read for fans of the 80s films of Legend or Labyrinth! Especially if you enjoy being taken by surprise.

My Rating: 5/5 stars… that ending!

The Bride of Glass by Candace Robinson

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Finished: Friday, December 14, 2018

Candace is one of my fellow authors over at Parliament Houes Press. Knowing how much I loved book 1, she was kind enough to offer me a review copy of book 2 as well in exchange for an honest review.

My review:

So if you saw my review for Quinsey Wolfe’s Glass Vault, then you’ll understand how quickly I sped through the first book in this series. (And if you’ve been taking notes on how often I review books, you’ll know that’s a rarity!) I don’t want to spoil anything, but book 1 had an amazing, unexpected ending, and book 2 picks up right where things left off.

I honestly wasn’t sure where Robinson could take it after book 1 based on where it ended. The whole situation was completely unexpected so when book 2 came along, I realized that I was along for one heck of a ride on this roller coaster and threw my expectations out the window. It did not disappoint!

One of the things that I loved with the first book was the wonderful mix of dark horror and old-school monsters. The array of creatures was just fantastic. Book 2 digs even more into these crazy monsters and I legit had to message Candace directly at one point because of one of the monsters that showed up. (Bonus points if you can figure out which one that was!) If you have so many wicked monsters, you have to choose how to handle the gore, and she did not skimp there! This isn’t a bland monster story, Robinson digs in with some visceral descriptions where you won’t be able to pull away.

I also love Perrie’s storyline. She’s the protagonist from book 1, and she carries the main storyline in book 2 as well. However she’s a very different person than she used to be. The events that occur change her in realistic ways and it was wonderful to see that portrayed. Maisie is still one of my favorite characters too, but I also grew an unexpected soft spot for Vale. I can’t say too much without dropping some major spoilers, but let me just say that by the end of it, I felt for all of them. It was quite an amazing read and a perfect end to this series.

What I consider a 5-star book:

  1. Is it a fun read? Definitely! I was grinning during some of the scenes because I just loved Robinson’s unique take on the characters or the unique monster that appeared.
  2. Would you recommend it to others? Yes, but especially to anyone who loves old-school monster movies. Or even fans of current monster films. You’ll get a kick out of this more than the average reader because you’ll get the references.
  3. Does it stick with you? Yes! Vale’s character in particular and his interaction with Perrie is going to be a pairing I’m going to reflect on for a long time. I felt like one of the biggest strengths in this book is the characterization of these two and you feel like you’re right there with them through it all.

My overall rating? 5/5

Quinsey Wolfe’s Glass Vault by Candace Robinson

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Finished: July 19, 2018

Candace is one of my fellow writers over at Parliament House Press, and offered me an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review. Let me tell you this book didn’t disappoint!

My review:

Wow… this book!

When I was given an ARC of this just before I went on a beach vacation, I thought I would crack it open and read a little bit of it. I didn’t realize that I would get 60% through it because the plot hooked me so well! The writing is so fluid and when they get to the scenes within the Glass Vault, it was just so difficult to put down. I kept wanting to see what happened next and find out where the characters would go. I can feel Candace’s strong love of old horror movies come through on the pages. Each one made me smile.

The cover and premise already had my interest piqued, but the book itself is just fabulous! Think Waxwork with a very big twist. That ending – oh my gosh, I can’t wait to read the next book in this series! It definitely threw me for a loop and now I’m checking on when the next one gets re-released. I screamed with Perrie, I loved Maisie’s creativity, I felt sorry for Neven, and I swooned for August. Definitely a book that will pull you in.

Perrie is a high school student who has recently had a difficult break up with Neven. It doesn’t help that her heart is being stolen away by August, a fellow band member. While she’s dealing with all these emotions, a strange Glass Vault appears. As more of Perrie’s friends go missing, and the police start eying her suspiciously, Perrie has no choice but to investigate. But Quincey Wolfe’s Glass Vault is nothing like she expects.

Let’s just say that as someone who loves classic monster movies, loves horror and fantasy, and totally will binge watch Vincent Price films, I am really digging this series!

What I consider a 5-star book:

  1. Is it a fun read? Absolutely! I can’t say too much without giving spoilers, but yes it is.
  2. Would you recommend it to others? If you love classic horror films or books that make you keep turning the pages, check this out!
  3. Does it stick with you? These scenes… oh my gosh, again no spoilers, but yeah. Some of these scenes will never leave me, and I love it.

My overall rating? 5/5

Bacon Pie by Candace Robinson and Gerardo Delgadillo

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Finished: June 7, 2018

Candace is one of my fellow writers over at Parliament House Press, and offered me an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review. How could I resist, I mean have you seen that cover? And trust me, this book is just as cute and colorful as the cover!

My review:

Oh my gosh, this book is so much fun! It’s full of adorable, romantic silliness but it’s also not afraid to take on darker topics as well. One of the first stand-out pieces (or slices hehe) was the amount of diversity! We have Kiev, who is Mexican and speaks Spanish while at home. We have Lia, who has a mom and two dads (her father and mother got divorced, and now he’s with her second dad). Then we have Barnabus, a goth kid whose family immigrated from Cambodia and is an incredible harpist. I mean, any one of these people sound like they would be fun to hang out with, but all of them in one book? Just fantastic!

Oh and did I mention that Kiev has a pet armadillo? As someone who lives in the southeast of the U.S., we see these little guys a lot, and the idea of him keeping one as a pet just made me smile every time. I don’t want to give anything away, but he totally steals the show too.

It also isn’t afraid to handle some dark topics, but in a light manner so as not to drag the book down, which I appreciated! There was family drama, substance abuse, obsession, and anger issues, but handled in a fairly positive way the entire way through. We need more books like this, that show incredible diversity and give positive examples of managing hurdles in life.

Overall this was a super adorable YA Contemporary that will leave you thinking on this group for a while. Plus the book is on sale on Kindle right now at $0.99, and it’s totally worth picking up! Definitely a great book to take to the beach!

What I consider a 5-star book:

  1. Is it a fun read? These characters really make you love them!
  2. Would you recommend it to others? For fans of cute, romantic antics that don’t mind touching on some poignant topics on occaision, this is definitely the book for you!
  3. Does it stick with you? I’m probably going to think of Bacon Pie every time I see an armadillo to be honest. xD

My overall rating? 5/5