TESSA TALKS BOOKS

Thriller

One-word review: Entertaining

Emojis: 🤭🫣🤐

Rating: 4.5 🌟s

My thoughts:

Dream Town by Lee Goldberg is the fifth book in an entertaining police procedural thriller featuring Detective Eve Ronin.

The story begins after Eve sells her story to Hollywood and is constantly irritated over how the filming disrupts her life even though she’s not even in it. I loved these scenes because they break up any mundaneness that tends to be inherent in procedurals. Instead, they incorporate an amusing side plot that gave me something else to look forward to throughout the story.

I adore Eve. She is a model FMC. She’s strong, determined, and gets those cozy mystery-like “aha” moments. Her investigations embody her erudite nature, which doesn’t let any stone go unturned, or any clue escape her notice.

The mystery is excellent. I suspected a lot of people along the way, but none of them ended up being the killer of the initial victim. Red herrings are well-placed, the dialogue delightfully witty, and the pace consistently fast from beginning to end: Everything I love in a thriller! Add to that a fantastic main character and an entertaining side plot, and you get one of the most enjoyable stories I’ve read in a while!

Contemporary Fiction

One-word review: Enlightening

Emojis: 💻📱🥰

Rating: 4.5🌟s

My review:

Valley Verified by Kyla Zhao. a contemporary fiction story,  strips away the technology world’s shield, exposing it for the hotbed of misogynistic attitudes it actually is. The realization about what goes on in this world has only recently come to light, and Valley Verified tells the tale through a fashion writer’s eyes in a way that illuminates it authentically and approachably.

My favorite character had to be Damien. I loved watching his growth during the story and how he comes through for the main character, Zoe. He’s a minor character story-wise but a main character in terms of impact. Zoe, on the other hand, could have been more likable. She is unapologetically herself, and I love that about her. But, she has a naivety that sparked extreme reactions that are often so wrong. I just wanted to take her by the hand and explain my wisdom, which was born of many more experiences than her own. How her instincts were not screaming “danger” to her in certain situations baffled me.

I found the tech world more authentically portrayed than not. My only critique is that I think the story took on too many issues. I would rather read about one issue in depth than many issues addressed just on the surface. The misogyny in the tech profession and, by extension, some of its more social products has been a very troubling revelation, especially in our tech-filled world. Valley Verified has taken an interesting angle to illuminate those issues, even when it stretched to take on a bit too much.

Fantasy

One-word review: Otherworldly

Emojis: 🤔🫣🤭

Rating: 4.5 🌟s

My thoughts:

Emily Wilde’s second adventure – her map of the Otherlands – was even better than her first adventure. The pacing was much better, with only a minor slowing a third to a half of the way through. I enjoyed the first book, but I loved the second one.

I think my favorite part of the story was actually the ending, which, of course, I can’t talk about. It showed so much character and story growth which surprised me.

But there were other aspects I enjoyed as well. The action was thrilling and kept the pace fast. The fae in this world is fierce and unforgiving. They will kill humans as just a manner of being, not because they did anything wrong, and since most of the story takes place near a nexus and inside the fae lands, you can imagine how high the stakes are.

I also love how the writing keeps true to the times – a more formal style. It can be a bit off-putting at first, but I soon grew used to it, and it flew just as fast as a book written in a more contemporary style. Readers who love stories about fae, an intelligent writing style that stays true to the setting, and lots of edge-of-your-seat thrills will love this series by Heather Fawcett.