Tag: Supernatural

Review: Cape Fever

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Title: Cape Fever
Author: Nadia Davids
Pages: 240
Release: December 9, 2025

Engaging prose and a mysterious, claustrophobic setting create tremendous suspense in this excellent historical thriller by Nadia Davids.

Set in the 1920s within an unnamed colonial empire, Cape Fever immerses us in the inner turmoil of Soraya Matas, an overworked and underappreciated housemaid. Davids deftly shapes Soraya into a more-than-meets-the-eye protagonist, one whose thoughtfulness and quiet wisdom are clear to us even as her devious employer, Ms. Hattingh, demeans and degrades her. As Soraya’s circumstances grow more perilous, she’s visited by the ghosts that haunt the house.

Davids weaves the supernatural seamlessly into a clear-eyed exploration of class and culture, guiding the story toward an expected yet deeply satisfying twist. 

★★★★1⁄2

My thanks to the publisher, NetGalley, and Edelweiss for an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

Review: King Nyx

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Title: King Nyx
Author: Kirsten Bakis
Pages: 320
Release: February 27, 2024

A tightly woven and haunting gothic mystery that left me supremely satisfied.

A creepy island, a reclusive benefactor, and three young girls vanished into thin air. If those ingredients weren’t enough to hook you, the evolving mystery at the heart of the book does a tremendous job of pulling you deeper and deeper into the abyss as important answers always seem tantalizingly out of reach.

It’s more eerie than it is scary, but Bakis sets the atmospherically rich and period-specific tone incredibly well, as the dialogue and imagery effectively evoke the the haunting quality that brings the plot to life.

The story itself tackles contemporary issues through the lens of life in 1918 – the rejection of science, toxic men in high places, and even a disease outbreak requiring quarantine! Timeless themes, an alluring mystery, and beautiful prose make this a supremely satisfying read.

★★★★½

My thanks to the public library for providing me with a post-release copy in exchange for a promise that I’ll return it within 14 days. (I did).

Review: House of Bone and Rain

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Title: House of Bone and Rain
Author: Gabino Iglesias
Pages: 352
Release: August 6, 2024

A pulpy, blood-soaked, and rain-drenched tale of brotherhood and revenge.

This was a fun, fast-paced thrill. I enjoyed the blend of revenge and supernatural horror in a locale (Puerto Rico) that doesn’t get the limelight in contemporary fiction too often. That said, the tone and writing style didn’t always land with me, and some of the violence is so cartoonishly over the top that it distracted me from the narrative. I still think it’s a worthwhile read, as it’s stuffed to the gills with exciting action set pieces.

★★★

My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

Review: Lincoln in the Bardo

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19-lincoln-in-the-bardo-w245-h368Title: Lincoln in the Bardo (2017)
Author: George Saunders
Pages: 343

After mastering the art of short fiction storytelling, author George Saunders has written Lincoln in the Bardo, his first full-length novel. It is one of the least conventional novels you will ever come across. Chaotic in both form and story, Saunders employs a mix of primary and secondary sources (some authentic; some completely made up) interwoven with the conversations of loitering, spirit-like entities trapped in the “bardo,” where the manifestation of their consciousness waits for their next birth. Very straightforward, right?

The story at the forefront of this madness is the death of Abraham Lincoln’s son Willie, and Lincoln’s mournful visits to his grave. Simultaneously, Willie’s spirit is floating around with all the other residents of the cemetery, as they each seek absolution in their own way. It is a powerful meditation on grief and loss, with a welcome dash of biting humor.

The unsystematic patchwork of storytelling modes is often bewildering in its construction, so, as the reader, you must (cliche alert) make it more about the journey than the destination. Despite the oodles and oodles of originality, the experience is too bizarre and unnerving for the ride to be worth it. I hope to revisit this story in audiobook form, as the star-studded voice cast may add a layer of familiarity to what is, in practice, a very alien novel.

★★★ out of 5