Rebecca Crunden

Book source ~ BBNYA Tour

When a hole is torn between worlds, Earth is invaded by the Suriia, beings who have magic. War ensues and after 300 years humans are near extinction. Thorn and Thistle are living the life of the pursued until Thistle meets a Suriia who is sympathetic to the plight of humans. Thorn is highly sceptical, but she has a hard time denying the more delicate Thistle a chance at a healthier lifestyle. So, they move to Courtenz and that’s when the fun begins. And I use that word a bit loosely. At least, for Thorn.

Be prepared to settle in because this is a chonker of a book. The beginning is a bit slow as the world is built and the backstory is filled in. Then it really takes off. I have to be honest, I was a bit bored at first. Thorn and Thistle’s life with the Suriia is a bit of a slog and Thorn isn’t a very sympathetic character. She’s definitely thorny. I didn’t hate her, but I didn’t much like her either. But that changes a bit as the story goes on and then things really heat up. Plotwise, that is. Whoa. Talk about a fascinating plot that races to the finish line. Sa-weet! This is a nice blend of sci-fi and fantasy with excellent characters and great writing. If you like a book that is like a leisurely stroll that picks up steam until it’s a gallop then definitely pick this up.… (más)

This review is also featured on aBehind the Pages: Dust & Lightning

Ames Emerys received official notification of his brother Callum’s death during transport to the planet Kilnin. Accused of murder, Callum was to serve a sentence of hard labor. Ames could not believe his brother committed such a crime. And when Callum is also seen arriving on the planet alive, Ames questions everything. When he begins investigating, Ames receives a travel ban and agents attempt to bring him into custody. Evading capture, Ames sets out to find his brother. Along the way, he will uncover dangerous secrets.

During Ames' journey towards discovering the truth, he encounters a woman named Violet. When he helps her out of a tough situation I was pleasantly surprised to see the two become platonic partners. Though Violet was onboard to help Ames rather quickly, their synergy together was well written. The two complement each other and create a relationship based on learned trust and understanding. There was no romance or need for romance to understand how the two felt about each other, and the respect they had with a growing friendship.

Rebecca Crunden has a talent for creating relatable characters. Emotionally connecting with the characters, readers will feel Ames' need to find his brother, and the ensuing ups and downs they face together. Dust & Lighting feels like the start of a grand adventure. The actions each character aims to take by the end leave a charged open ending. Readers will crave more information. If you’re a reader who enjoys fast-paced short science fiction, give this a try.… (más)

I love this delightfully witchy series of short novellas about two men, one of whom was cursed into the body of a crow for centuries. Aris is just learning to live in his human form after being freed from his curse. Enlil, his partner, is trying to help him with his trouble transitioning back to being human and the PTSD. Then there is the question of them being together after all this time. I loved the witchy vibe, the crows and cats and witchy magic garden. So atmospheric and delightful! 5/5 stars.… (más)

I wanted to read something, but I wasn't in the mood to lug around a physical book, and I didn't want to get through my NetGalley stack! I saw Rebecca's recent post about hitting 1000 reviews on Goodreads and decided to check her out!

I hadn't known that the short story I'd been seeing on my timeline was actually one of her books, and lo and behold, this book was free with my Kindle rewards!

At 26 pages is a short story that can be read in under an hour! It was released on the 25th of Feb, 2023, and is honestly slept on because it only has 28 reviews on amazon. While there is no paperback the ebook is currently available for $0.99. It's not exactly horror, but more of a spooky read.

Jace Venable is in the process of doing what we all want to do. Live in an isolated place, eating interesting things grown in his own garden, and is setting up a barn as a rental property so that he can quit his job forever. We don't get a sense that he wants more from life; he wants peace and he's so close to getting it!

And then Jace discovers a runaway boy seeking refuge in his barn. If Jace had kicked Gabe out, I'm sure a lot of people on the AITA subreddit wouldn't have called him an asshole. They would have pointed out that Jace needs to keep himself safe. Someone on the AITA subreddit would also have called him an idiot for going out of his way for a boy who seems to have bloodstains on his clothes. It's Jace's own kindness that is his downfall!

The shot story form works in Crunden's favour because she paces the book accordingly. We don't have weird gaps in the timeline; it's set over 2 days and works in those days. And as she writes we get a sense of foreboding; perhaps that's because of the genre or because of the clothes; we know something is very wrong.

I will say that the reason why I didn't give this book a full 5 stars is because I do feel like Jace was incredibly passive towards the end. I know that the point was to highlight his kindness, but some greater reaction would have magnified the horror of this. To a certain extent he has accepted that he can't drag someone else into this, but he also knows that he is unlikely to escape any other way and is not just here.

I'm also a bit concerned as to how they got partners and I really want to know how their marriages went. I would love to read a full series on this family and the curse and what brought us here!

In short, "Someone Else's Horror Story" is a chilling and thought-provoking read that lingers in the mind long after the final page. As readers we do want more (a series), but that's not a drawback!… (más)