📚What I Read This Week

The Secret Dinner is a November 2026 Release by Macmillan

5+ Brutal and Awesome. I felt a wide range of emotions, from positive to omg I can't deal with this scene.... So dark and violent. It escalates fast, and if it were a movie, it would be worthy of a Fantasporto award. The friends possess all the skills necessary to make this terrible idea flourish. At first, they just needed to pay rent, but they got trapped in the darkest part of human nature when greed and power combine. Will cut my review here because the constant revelations (without spoilers) make this read unbearable and nonstop, and it should be experienced if you dare. I read it as an audiobook. Totally recommend it. I will grab a copy for my bookshelf because it's set in "my cousin's" Brazil, Copacabana.

Old Loves Die Hard - See this week's previous posts for the reviews of this series ( I am reading and reviewing a book from this series each Thursday until the new book is out in the Fall)

Trade of Blood is the 3rd volume of this fantasy horror detective series

4.2 This one took a great direction because it's personal to Din. The location and the people of these "farms" - slaughterhouses - are home to him, and he will work alongside his sister. The middle is extremely slow and diminishes the enthusiasm, but the end parts with a surprising and revelatory confrontation. Ana's obnoxious and sob behavior contrasts with this case a lot because she is all facts and no empathy; I think it was on purpose to make Din explode, but it made me take a break from reading, and I took a moment to finish this one. The themes and culprit make for a great mystery; my favorite parts are the horror fantasy bits and Din.

A Plagued Sea is a novella, horror, Lovecraftian inspired by Macmillan

4 Great horror novella that shows well how government and humankind always react to catastrophes, such as a pandemic disease or one they don't understand. Abandonment, prejudice. But also a takeover.

This strange storm that isolates a community that is turning into a mash-up of fish people. The tension comes from the povs, their reaction, trying to come up with a position to stand, seeing both sides.

Finishing Lines - full review on my Friday blog post

It Came From Neverland Horror by Penguin Random House

4 stars What a great use of the Peter Pan and Wendy story to showcase what an abusive relationship with manipulative men feels like, using the children to enslave, threaten, and take, and taking, changing a person with false promises of a better life and a better self when the goal is to empty someone to nothingness. At the same time, there is such dark fantasy, creepy imagery of horror and death, but also with the theme of men waging war, taking children and returning hollow men.

The novel has so many great quotes worth noting. I read the audio, but if I grab a physical copy will search for my favorite quotes to annotate.

My only less favorite remark is that it's a bit too long. The message and themes could have been done with half. A novella would have been more powerful with less repetition. But at the same time, an abusive relationship like this doesn't end when we name it. The predator keeps doing it, keeps repeating, wants to win, going on in terrible, repetitive cycles.

Let's not depend on others to achieve something, but trust ourselves.

The Sherlock Society by Simon and Schuster Middle Grade

4 This is a fun one because we get to solve a cold case. We see the grandfather as a kid (kind of an origin story in becoming a great investigative journalist). With great clues and elements that will satisfy those wanting to do journalism for the right facts, truth, and investigation, we'll see them work as a team in the present time, where together they will clear Doc's name amidst a terrible storm. A story of a famous hotel in Florida turned into a Hollywood-ish movie setting for marketing. Lots of facts about the weather, storms, the difference between a hurricane and a blizzard, and more.