Joshilyn Jackson rose to heights with her last release, Never Have I Ever. It was like everyone I knew was reading it or trying to get their hands on it. Jackson had published eight novels before Never Have I Ever, but she gained notice from her first attempt at the thriller genre. She’s hit it out of the park again with her newest psychological thriller, Mother May I.
The Plot
Bree Cabbat married up. Her husband, Trey, is a big-time lawyer who came from a family of privilege and wealth. Bree herself did not, but she’s adapted to her new role of Stepford wife, tending to her two daughters and newborn son.
One morning, Bree awakens to see a witch standing outside her bedroom window. She dismisses it until her son is taken at her daughter’s school play rehearsal as her back is turned. The mysterious witch woman leaves a note telling Bree to follow her instructions — not to call the police or her husband and follow her directions, no questions asked, to see her son back home safe again.
As Bree traverses every mother’s worst nightmare, secrets begin to emerge from the past — ones that threaten her family, her relationship, and her morals.
The Verdict
Jackson is a master of pacing, forcing the reader to hang on her every written word. We race to find out the mysterious abductor’s motive and whether Bree will rescue her newborn son in one piece. The characters are multi-dimensional, and act as one might in real life if this scenario became true. One pet peeve of mine in thrillers, whether domestic or not, is when characters behave in ways I do not find to be true to real life. Jackson makes sure her characters traverse situations exactly like you or I would. We feel connected to Bree, desperate as she is, our breath hitched in our sternum.
Advertisement
While the secret that lies at the center of the abduction is a predictable one, the reveal is not as important as Bree’s motherly journey to save her child. We feel Bree’s pain and experience her desire for her son’s safety as if he is our own.
I have seen some reviews that find the ending gets a bit too preachy, which I can more than understand. However, the ending aligns with Bree as a character, as we do live through her experiences for most of the novel.
I read this novel in 24 hours. I couldn’t put it down, and I couldn’t stop thinking about Bree.
Sarah Moon is a stone-cold sorceress from Tennessee whose interests include serial killers, horror fiction, and the newest dystopian blockbuster. Sarah holds an M.A. in English Literature and an M.F.A. in Fiction Writing. She works as an English professor as well as a cemeterian. Sarah is most likely to cover horror in print including prose, poetry, and graphic forms. You can find her on Instagram @crystalsnovelnook.
A chilling blend of The Devil Wears Prada and classic ghost story. Tiny Threads by Lilliam Rivera is a gripping exploration of the fashion industry’s dark underbelly. Published in September 2024, this contemporary Latina horror novel delves into themes of gender, hierarchy, gentrification, and human trafficking. All while keeping readers on the edge of their seats with its supernatural elements.
The Plot.
When Samara, a young Cuban American woman, lands her dream job working as the Executive Director, Global Brand Voice for renowned fashion designer Antonio Mota, she cannot move away from Jersey and her close-knit, although sometimes suffocating, family fast enough. Arriving in Vernon, California, Samara hopes this could be a new start. She finds the people nice enough and her new apartment is to die for. She has even met a new love interest, a wealthy investor of Mota’s fashion line.
If only she were not woken at 2am every morning by the mice living in the walls of her apartment. She also wishes the local abattoir was not so close by. It gives off the stench of death that the locals refer to as ‘the Vernon perfume’.
However, beneath the surface, cracks begin to appear. A reoccurring name, a rude seamstress and a spontaneously appearing and disappearing model, it doesn’t take long before her fragile sense of normalcy begins to unravel .
Advertisement
As the pressure mounts to deliver a successful fashion show, Samara’s coping mechanisms spiral out of control. She turns to alcohol and pills, blurring the lines between reality and dream. With her sanity teetering on the edge, Samara faces a critical choice: succumb to the darkness or fight for a brighter future, even if it means confronting a trauma she thought she had left all but forgotten.
Highlights.
One of the highlights of Tiny Threads is the inclusion of Spanish dialogue. In many stories featuring multilingual characters, the non-English language is often translated directly into the text or presented in a different font. However, Rivera has chosen to maintain the original Spanish, which I found refreshing and immersive. Translating certain songs and names, such as the name ‘Piedad,’ which means ‘Pity,’ enriched my understanding of the story. In regards to this, I was very glad that I was reading on my Kindle with the translation tool open and ready.
Drawbacks.
Don’t begin this book expecting a constant barrage of ghosts and supernatural occurrences. Tiny Threads is a more of a slow-burn psychological horror novel, where the otherworldly elements are subtle and understated. The narrative takes an unexpected turn into a revenge story, which is both surprising and satisfying.
I think the main drawback is the repetition of Samara’s days. This might have been purposeful representing the drudgery she was experiencing in a world that is toted as being glamorous and vibrant, but it slows down the pacing and deadened the tension of the story. The repetition began to feel like Groundhog Day. The only thing that drove time forward was the buildup to the fashion show which is counted down in each chapter. The final quarter of the book, culminating in said dramatic fashion show, picks up the pace significantly.
The Final Take.
Tiny Threads is a supernatural horror where the ghosts, surprisingly, aren’t the most terrifying aspect. Rivera expertly captures the harsh realities faced by lower-level fashion industry employees and the lengths people go to for success in this often brutal field. Despite its difficulties with repetition and pacing, this is a must-read for those who appreciate a complex protagonist grappling with self-deception. Rivera’s Tiny Threads is a thought-provoking exploration of the fashion industry’s darker side.
Published in April 2023, Catriona Ward’s novel, Looking Glass Sound, continues her tradition of crafting intricate narratives that defy easy categorization. Like her acclaimed The House on Needless Street, Ward expertly weaves a web of clues and red herrings that will unravel with each reread. Is it an atmospheric horror, a twisted serial killer mystery, or the coming-of-age tale of a writer? The answer, as Ward skillfully demonstrates, is all three.
The Plot.
In 1989, sixteen-year-old Wilder Harlow, travels to the Maine coast with his mother and father, for the summer. His family has inherited a cottage on Whistler’s Bay, all hope that this will be a fresh start for him.
On the first day, Wilder meets Harper and Nat; teens who roam the town with little to no adult supervision. The two quickly become his guides to the town’s hidden secrets.
As they explore the bay’s eerie beauty, Wilder discovers a sinister undercurrent. A terrifying figure known as the “Dagger Man” has been terrorizing families; breaking into homes and photographing sleeping children at knifepoint. Meanwhile, a more chilling mystery unfolds: women have been vanishing from the town for over a decade.
Wilder and his new friends are drawn into the mysteries and the truth begins to unravel as they explore the hidden corners of the bay.
Advertisement
This is only the first section of the book. What follows is Wilder’s experience through college, eventually returning to Whistler Bay as an elderly man. On his return things begin to twist and we find that everything we’ve been told is not strictly fact.
Highlights.
Catriona Ward is known for writing strong characters and here she does not disappoint. The novel introduces us to Wilder, Nat, and Harper as teenagers whose complex dynamics and relatable angst draw us in. Wilder’s college roommate, Sky, adds another layer of depth, offering a poignant exploration of queer coming-of-age. While Ward’s intricate plot keeps us guessing, it also presents a minor challenge: the sheer number of twists and turns can sometimes blur the lines between characters: making it difficult to keep track of names and relationships. The introduction of two characters named Sky and Skye, in particular, can be confusing. Despite this, Ward’s character development remains consistently strong. Looking Glass Sound is a compelling exploration of human connection and the complexities of memory.
Drawbacks.
The overwhelming drawback for this novel was the structure. The first half of the novel follows a straightforward, linear timeline, allowing us to connect with Wilder and his friends on a personal level. However, the narrative takes a significant detour in the second half, adopting a complex frame-within-a-frame structure, or perhaps more accurately a book within a book… within a book. This shift can be disorienting, as readers are constantly pulled back and forth between different time periods and perspectives, often only to discover that certain events were not entirely as they seemed.
While this unconventional approach adds a layer of intrigue, it can also make the plot feel fragmented and difficult to follow. Ward’s decision to interrupt the narrative with explanations and asides can sometimes disrupt the pacing and immersion. While this choice may be intentional, it can also leave readers feeling lost and confused.
The Final Take.
This is not my first Catriona Ward novel, nor it will be my last. Ward writes stories that are built to confound the reader and make them question everything they’ve read. Looking Glass Sound pushes this a little too far. In my opinion is the weakest of her novels that I have read so far. In saying that I did enjoy the atmospheric horror of the introductory chapters and the dark academic feel of the college section. Following that I found myself becoming a little fed up with deciphering the plot.
“You can’t win against the mountain. The mountain always finds a way.”
Published in July 2024, Alisa Alering’s debut novel, Smothermoss, is a chilling blend of folk horror and dark fairytale. Though concise, this novel packs a powerful punch, its narrative dense with metaphor and a suffocating atmosphere. Not for the faint of heart, Smothermoss is a haunting exploration of the sinister lurking beneath the surface of the ordinary.
The Story.
Set in the rugged Appalachian Mountains of the 1980s, Smothermoss follows the lives of sisters, Sheila (17) and Angie (12). The two live with their mother and an elderly woman in a crumbling cottage in the forest. Both Sheila and Angie are the object of ridicule and bullying within their school community, the sisters cope with this bullying in starkly different ways. Sheila retreats into silence, avoiding conflict and longing for escape. Angie, meanwhile, immerses herself in a fantasy world, battling imaginary Russians and believing her handmade cards hold prophetic power.
When two women hikers are brutally murdered on the nearby Appalachian Trail, Sheila becomes more withdrawn and avoidant of the world, while Angie becomes convinced she’s destined to capture the killer. Little do they know; a far greater evil lurks in the forest.
Advertisement
Highlights.
Alering’s masterful characterization of Sheila and Angie was the true gem of Smothermoss. Despite being told in the third person, the alternating chapters offer a bone deep immersion into each sister’s perspective. In recent fiction, author’s have not quite captured the authentic voice of a young character. However, Alering nails it. Angie’s pre-teen naivety shines through and never accidently matures past its 12-year-old existence. While Sheila’s late teenage anxieties and queer coming-of-age struggles are beautifully rendered.
Another highlight of this story is the lyrical prose. Smothermoss has a rhythm; it reads like poetry in places and in others could be mistaken for a children’s fable. Reading about the visceral and raw events and thoughts contained in Smothermoss, in such beautiful but simple language adds to the unsettling experience, and enjoyability, of reading this story
Drawbacks.
There were a couple of things that had me a little confused during this book. Several shorter chapters leave the sisters entirely behind and focus on rabbits and other forest animals. At first, I interpreted these to be metaphoric. The animals standing in for the killers point of view, or perhaps the murdered women. This book is so heavy with metaphor that this seems plausible, but I finished the book still questioning myself about this.
The other issue I found was that many of the subplots in this story are left unexplained or unfinished, turning to the last page with many questions that will never be answered. (Which has resulted in sleepless nights because I just want to know what exactly that rope is among other things!)
The Final Take.
At its core, this is the story of two sisters growing to understand each other and supporting each other through adversity.
Advertisement
Beyond that, Smothermoss feels like a fairytale dragged through the mud.
The small size of this book (just over 250 pages) might lead people to think it is a quick or easy read. Don’t be fooled, as Shakespeare said, “though she be but little, she is fierce.” This is a complex story, with heavy themes and dark subtext.
I want, and hope, to read this story again because I know that there is much more to uncover here. The metaphors are dark and unnerving, the characters deep and moving, the natural imagery thick. I was not at all surprised to find out that Alering grew up in the Appalachian Mountains. Only someone familiar with the area could have described the people and place with so much heart.
This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish. Cookie settingsACCEPT
Privacy & Cookies Policy
Privacy Overview
This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience.
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.