Buy on Amazon

The story is told through the eyes of Bill, a man working at a struggling local newspaper in a fading industrial town. The town is never named, but based on description alone, I imagined it as a midwestern town around the desert regions of America.

When a high-profile murder case grips the community, Bill, along with his two colleagues, follows the story closely. The victim is the father of a local Denny’s worker named Ronny Lawton. Only the severed finger of Lawton’s father is discovered, and the town quickly assumes Ronny is responsible for killing his father and concealing the body. As the investigation unfolds, Bill becomes increasingly entangled, not just as a reporter, but as someone at the heart of the investigation.

At first glance, the novel appears to be about uncovering a murder, but it’s clear early on that Collins is interested in much more than the mechanics of a crime. The book acts as a mirror held up to American society, particularly towns that have been gutted by the collapse of industry and opportunity. Through Bill’s narration, Collins captures the aimlessness, frustration, and quiet despair of people left behind by economic change.

What struck me most was Collins’ prose. His writing is laced with irony and dark humor, yet also filled with moments of raw, unflinching honesty. Bill may present himself as simple, but his simplicity masks deep scars. Much of his worldview has been shaped by the trauma of his father’s suicide, and his outbursts and philosophical rants throughout the novel reveal a man grappling with not just the murder case in front of him, but with larger existential questions. There are sometimes passages full of Bill’s abstract commentary on society. These passages are often startling, showing Bill’s pessimistic outlook of the world.

Despite being published in 2000, the book feels timely in its discussions of social decay, captialism, and the costs of progress. Bill is a fascinating narrator because of the contrast between his outward simplicity and his inward complexity. His commentary is often cynical, yet beneath it lies an aching desire to make sense of a fractured world. Through him, Collins gives voice to the contradictions of small-town life: the closeness of the community alongside the gossip and suspicion, the pride in tradition clashing with the despair of stagnation.

Collins himself is Irish-born, but he demonstrates an acute understanding of American life. His depiction of the town feels authentic, almost painfully so, as if he has studied the anxieties of its people.

By the time I finished Keepers of Truth, I felt that I had read something far more substantial than a murder mystery. The crime provides the structure, but the novel’s true achievement lies in how it confronts the fragility of community and the quiet tragedies that shape ordinary lives.

Though they are not diverse, there is an elaborate cast of characters in this book. They are true to the types of people you would find in such a town. On the opposite side of Bill is a character named Darlene, who has a feministic outlook on the world, one that often clashes with Bill’s own outlook. These dynamics are interesting to analyze, although the narrative doesn’t exactly focus on it. The good thing is that these other characters balance out Bill’s sometimes unreliable narrations and judgements.

I enjoyed Collins’ writing so much that I am eager to explore more of his work. Keepers of Truth is bleak, thought-provoking, and at times darkly funny. Many readers might find this book slow or uninteresting, particularly if they are looking for a plot-driven story. The plot itself leaves much to be desired, and readers may finish the book with questions because nothing is clearly spelled out. But if, like me, you’re open to books full of irony and social commentary, then you might go on to understand why this book was shortlisted for the Booker prize back in 2000.

Woman in Black by Susan Hill / Buy on Amazon / Buy on Bookshop.org

Though published in 1983, Hill’s writing convincingly mirrors the style of Victorian literature. The prose feels like it belongs to a much earlier time, with a rhythm and tone that transports readers back to the fog-drenched moors of 19th-century England. For someone like me, who hadn’t read older English fiction in a while, it was a refreshing reintroduction to that style.

One of the most striking things about Hill’s approach is her dedication to scene-setting. In contrast to many modern novels that prioritise pace and dialogue, The Woman in Black often lingers on its surroundings. The descriptions of the eerie Eel Marsh House never felt bloated. Instead, they build an oppressive atmosphere that slowly plants the seeds of uncanny in your mind. While the writing never actually made me feel terror, Hill did her job in setting the eerie atmosphere well.

The story unfolds through the perspective of Arthur Kipps, a solicitor and now a settled older man. During a family Christmas gathering, his children (through marriage) share ghost stories, triggering Arthur’s deep discomfort. It’s clear he has lived through a real supernatural ordeal and feels too uncomfortable to recount it orally. Instead, he chooses to write down his experience in hopes that someone, someday, might read and understand what he endured. From here, the novel dives into Arthur’s past, where his boss at his legal firm assigns him to handle the estate of a recently deceased woman in a remote village. This village is where he encounters the chilling presence of the titular woman in black.

Beyond the haunting, I was intrigued by the novel’s subtle commentary on class and the urban-rural divide in Britain. Arthur, a Londoner, openly admits to viewing country villagers as simple or superstitious, which is an attitude that still lingers today. We see this difference in lifestyle play out in the way that Arthur navigates his task. He stays headstrong and committed to the task at hand, despite his supernatural encounters. The people of the village allude to knowing things about Eel Marsh House, but they’re too reserved to speak of it out loud. It’s through an Inn owner named Mr. Daily that Arthur finds some help. And later in the book, Mr. Daily offers Arthur a female tarrier named Spider to accompany him for his return to Eel Marsh House.

There is a movie version of The Woman in Black starring Daniel Radcliffe (2012), and the movie slightly deviates from the book, forming a tighter plot. The plot in the book version isn’t exactly engrossing, but curiosity will make you turn the page to find out where the hauntings of Eel Marsh House started.

While I wouldn’t call The Woman in Black terrifying, the strength of The Woman in Black lies in its mood and execution. It’s not a story that relies on jump scares or shocks, but rather builds unease through isolation, and the proximity to creepy occurrences. At around 200 pages, it’s an easy weekend read that serves as a great entry point into gothic fiction. You may not walk away trembling, but you’ll certainly remember the quiet dread that hangs over every page.

The Dragon Republic by R.F. Kuang / Buy on Amazon US / Buy on Amazon UK / Buy on Bookshop.org

About The Dragon Republic

Author: R.F. Kuang
Publisher: Harper Voyager
Date Published: August 6th, 2019
Pages: 672

Book Summary

Peace is short-lived. The ruling powers of Nikan are determined to reclaim their land. After becoming the leader of the Cike crew of shamans, Rin is now caught in the middle of a political power struggle. Her only goal is to exact revenge on Empress Daji and The Federation for selling out Nikan. But, with little political power, she struggles to find the means to take down Daji and her comrades. That’s until Rin and the Cike are intercepted by a fleet known as The Dragon Army, who has an offer for Rin that she can’t refuse.

Rin must fight to keep her people safe, confront the demons of her past, and come to terms with the terrible price she has paid for her power.

My Thoughts

What is most impressive about The Dragon Republic to me, is that although the overarching plot progresses slowly, the many character-based twists and turns are deeply intriguing. Rin is a mess in this book. She is flawed in her thinking, and it’s clear from her opioid addiction that she’s mentally scarred from the events of the first book.

Though she doesn’t seem to regret her decision to burn the entire population of an island to death, it is clear that she feels the moral weight of her actions. She continues to be confronted by her actions throughout this book, and rightfully so.

What’s special about Rin as a character, is that I don’t think the author is trying to make us like her. We’re not supposed to be fully behind Rin’s journey. She is, after all, loosely based on Mao Zedong. And it’s the complexity of this reader-protagonist relationship that fascinates me the most in this story.

A tremendous weight has been put on Rin’s shoulders after the events of The Poppy War. Altan has passed away and left her in charge of the shaman group The Cike. But Rin finds herself butting heads with Cheghan, who believes that Altan made a mistake by promoting her to the commander.

Rin’s goal as a leader is to settle her score with Empress Daji for selling out her country, but she must operate as a freelancer to gain capital for the mission. By sheer luck, Rin is granted the opportunity to assassinate Daji early on. But she winds up losing control of her magic and burning down the parade, allowing Daji to flee.

After some reassurance from the Cike, Rin builds up her confidence enough to continue on the mission. Sometime later, the group’s boat is intercepted by a large vessel, and they are essentially kidnapped by The Dragon Army. And, it’s here where the meat of this story really begins.

Extreme spoilers from here on.

The Dragon Army is led by The Dragon Warlord, Vaisra. Vaisra is the father of Nezha (a returning character from The Poppy War). The Dragon Warlord’s goal is to conquer Nikan by unseating the Empress and strongarming anyone who should resist their plan to build a new republic. To achieve this dominance, Vaisra benefits from having the power of Rin and the Cike.

While much of the book focuses on politics and military strategy, R.F. Kuang gives us enough interesting character development to carry the reader along. Oftentimes, I found that the chapters focus heavily on character moments, with a brief passage explaining their intended strategy that comes before the end of the chapter. And although I noticed this pattern a few times, it doesn’t come across as formulaic. You can tell that much attention was paid by Kuang to not beat the readers over the head with strategy, and this is greatly appreciated.

Another interesting theme in this book is the cultural contrast between the West and the East. To further empower his dynasty, The Dragon Warlord finds himself dependent on the Hesperian fleet. The Hesperians are essentially this world’s Europeans. They bring with them their firearms and advanced military strategy. But, in order to support Vaisra’s Dragon Republic, part of their agreement includes access to Rin. To examine and experiment with her magic.

Rin is obviously reluctant to play ball with the Hesperians and doesn’t quite trust their motives. However, she must agree in order to stay alive and remain with the Dragon Army. A few segments of Rin being tested by the Hesperian scientist follow. And during these scenes, we get some interesting dialogue that examines the differences in religion and philosophy between the East and the West. Rin believes that there are many gods. And these gods don’t necessarily represent good. They are agents of chaos. The Hesperians believe in one god, and that their actions while living will lead them to reincarnation in god’s kingdom.

Rin thinks that the Hesperian’s take on religions is idealistic, but part of her likes the idea that you only have to serve the will of one god to then end up at peace after death. This exchange of perspective was interesting to read, and it opened up many more layers of thought for Rin and her journey.

Final Thoughts

I struggle to find too much fault with this book as I came out of it feeling satisfied. There’s much to say about the pacing, as the argument can be made that there isn’t much story progression through the first half of the book. To me, this is forgivable by the fact that the character development is far superior to the first book. There are many interesting twists that come during the book’s final chapters. Some are predictable, but still interesting to read.

The Dragon Republic falls into grimdark territory, and it doesn’t disappoint on that front. Violence, murder, and immorality are persistent throughout the book. The brutality of war is apparent. And we get a look into how these harsh realities can affect the psyche.

The Dragon Republic feels like the book R.F. Kuang wanted to give us this whole time. It’s almost as if The Poppy War was a necessary step for this incredible piece of work to be presented. I have yet to read The Burning God, the third book in the series, but many are calling The Dragon Republic the best in the trilogy. And I can already see why.

You Love Me by Caroline Kepnes | Buy from Amazon US | Buy from Amazon UK

About You Love Me

Author: Caroline Kepnes
Publisher: Random House Publishing Group
Published: April 6, 2021
Pages: 400

Book Description

You Love Me is the third book in the You series. Joe Goldberg has served time for his misdeeds, and now it’s time for him to enter back into the real world. But when he tried to return to L.A and find his ex-girlfriend Love and their newborn boy, Forty, Joe discovers that he’s not wanted in L.A. Joe is forced to leave his past behind and settle into the small island of Bainbridge in Washington state. And it’s there, in Bainbridge, were Joe finds his calling as a library assistant. But with this new calling, comes a brand new obsession. That obsession is Mary Kay. Will Mary Kay cause Joe to fall into his old ways? Or can Joe change his ways and win Mary Kay’s heart without resorting to murder and manipulation?

My Thoughts

When I read the first book in this series (You), I fell in love with how Caroline Kepnes brought Joe to life. We got to experience New York through his eyes, and it was his snappy internal-monologue that made him feel like a real person. Someone who could be living among us every day.

Joe is a character who’s very relatable because of his snarky remarks and unhealthy love of literature. But what made most people resistant to liking him in the first two books was his creepy and murderous nature. Joe is someone who will orchestrate the kidnapping or murder of anyone who gets in the way of the woman he loves. And he’s the type of person who will stalk his love interest instead of simply letting them know how he feels about them. And these actions are what make most people reluctant to admit that they secretly adore Joe Goldberg.

You Love Me aims to rectify this feeling. Joe has gone through a notable change after his incarceration. He’s more self-aware about his misdeeds and he actively aims to avoid killing. And although this change is immediate very early on, Joe doesn’t lose any of his other quirks that make him interesting. He has the same snide internal-monologue that I enjoyed reading in the previous books, and these are often the parts that I enjoy reading the most. And while there will still be some who find Joe completely unlikable, Kepnes has made it so that readers can feel better about being on Joe’s side without feeling like they’re condoning hurtful and malicious behavior. (Even though I personally feel that liking a character in a book doesn’t represent your real-world views, but I know others disagree.)

Another positive about You Love Me is that the love interest feels like a real person in comparison to Hidden Bodies’ main love interest…Love. Mary Kay is a library manager with a teenage daughter (Nomi), who has a real fleshed out history that leaves footprints all over the small Island of Bainbridge. We get a real sense of how small this community is because everyone knows one another and they’re all aware of each other’s secrets. People talk, and when you’re in a small community, you’re reminded of how much your business gets around each day. This makes Joe’s pathway to Mary Kay’s heart all the more interesting. And this time around, we get a sense that the feelings between Joe and Mary are developing on a mutual level as opposed to feeling like Joe is simply being a forceful creep. But love is never that easy. There are a number of obstacles in Joe and Mary’s way. One of them being Mary’s feminist friend who publicly calls out Joe early on.

A problem I had with Hidden Bodies is that some of the murders were too convenient, which made the story feel less plausible than the original book. The second book strayed too far into an unrealistic direction, but You Love Me draws the realism back a few paces. Are there parts of You Love Me that are a little convenient? Yes! But these are conveniences with grey areas that you can apply some form of logic to. For example, a character goes missing (I won’t say how), and for a long time you’re left wondering when someone is going to figure out what happened, or at least do some digging. But this moment never comes. But although it seems slightly unrealistic that nobody would try to find this lost character again, Kepnes laid just enough groundwork to explain why the community might not wish to find this character. We have enough threads to convince ourselves that this situation might make sense, instead of having to gloss over plot-holes in order to retain the story’s immersion.

Joe’s quest for love with Mary Kay is full of bumpy roads. The two characters will go through a series of hurdles. And these hurdles are what keeps the suspense flowing throughout the story. Kepnes knows how to keep her readers turning the pages, and this talent is ever more apparent here. I also think that Kepnes wrote this book with the Netflix series in mind as I feel this book will make great TV once it’s adapted.

Most of the characters in You Love Me are new, but there are a few surprises in the story that involve returning characters from Joe’s past. And these moments are key in revealing Joe’s growth of character throughout this trilogy.

Verdict

I’ve seen a lot of mixed-feelings about how Joe Goldberg has changed as a character in this book. But in my opinion, he has changed for the better. His growth over the three books is reflected in You Love Me, and there’s nothing wrong with that, because people do grow and evolve in real life. Incarceration is enough to change anyone. And even with the major differences in Joe’s actions, he still retains the condescending, snide and self-righteous inner-monologue that makes him an interesting character to read. For that reason, I hold this book in high regard. I would rank You Love Me higher than Hidden Bodies, but the original book is still my favorite of the series.

If you’ve already found yourself sucked into the Youniverse then there’s absolutely no reason that you shouldn’t read this book.

You Love Me by Caroline Kepnes | Buy from Amazon US | Buy from Amazon UK

You Book 1 review – You Book 2 review

The Rules of Enchantment by Wendy Tardieu | Buy from Amazon US | Buy from Amazon UK

About The Rules of Enchantment

Author: Wendy Tardieu
Publishing Imprint: TCK Publishing
Number of Pages: 150
Genre: Fantasy, Erotic
ISBN: 163161083X

Premise

An exiled sorcerer named Leith aims to overthrow the magical restrictions put in place by the Academy of magic. The Academy suspects what Leith aims to do and decides to send a beautiful young scribe, named Kyler, to become his apprentice and double as their spy.

Leith tries to scare her away by showing her his dark side, but he discovers that Kyler is more gifted than he ever suspected. As he begins to teach her a thing or two about magic, they become romantically involved and join forces to fulfill a prophecy that will grant them incredible power.

My Thoughts

With The Rules of Enchantment being marketed as a short erotic fantasy, my expectations were a little different going into it. I thought the romance part would be the most prominent piece of the story. But instead, we’re given a beautifully written piece fantasy where the erotic parts are merely a small snapshot of the story.

The book starts with members of the academy voicing their concerns over the powerful sorcerer that is Leith. They believe he spends his days figuring out how to get past the academy’s restrictions and unlock his full power. And they’re right. So they come up with the plan to send in a young, beautiful scribe named Kyler to become Leith’s apprentice. Giving her the plan of distracting him and reporting back to the academy. We also learn here that one of the other members of the academy named Rowan harbors some feelings for Kyler.

What I noticed first, was just how beautiful and precise the prose was. This is a well edited piece of work that feels like a valid piece of fantasy fiction. I could tell it was more than just a short piece of erotic fantasy the moment I read through the poetic descriptions of settings and characters.

When Kyler enters Leith’s premises, she’s quickly shown a cold shoulder by the man. But Kyler’s strength of character, and her hidden talents, soon attract Leith to the point he begins to seriously take her under his wing. They soon cross the boundaries of teacher and pupil, and this is when the romance on the book kicks off.

It takes about 60 pages into this 150 page book before we get the first kiss. And from then on, we get a series of love scenes that seem to come and go fairly quickly. And right after these love scenes, the reader is led towards the final act. By the end of it, you begin to feel like the books length may have made things feel slightly rushed.

As someone who is writing fantasy currently, I know just how meaty a story can be when you’re including so much world-building and so much of the uncanny. And with this first-hand experience of fantasy writing, I can say I’m super impressed by what Wendy Tardieu has accomplished with The Rules of Enchantment. Despite the fact that the end comes quickly after the peak of romance, the author was able to pack in so much detail on the kingdom of Salyndria in 150 pages. I would be very surprised if we don’t see more of this world, and I actively want to learn more.

Verdict

Even though the ending of The Rules of Enchantment is abrupt, this is a pleasant read that should be given a chance, especially considering that it’s short length makes it easy to fit in around meatier books. Wendy Tardieu has also proved that she’s a worthy writer in the fantasy space.

House of Earth and Blood: Crescent City by Sarah J. Maas | Buy on Amazon UK | Buy on Amazon US

About Crescent City

Author: Sarah J. Maas
Publishing Imprint: Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
Number of pages: 816
ISBN: 9781408884416

Premise

Bryce Quinlan is a half-human and half-fae woman living in Crescent City among a pack of Vanir (shapeshifting wolves). She might not have everything, but she enjoys spending time with her best friends, working hard and partying all night. When her best friends are brutally murdered while she’s partying hard, Bryce’s life will be forever changed.

Two years later, when a similar murder occurs, Bryce is forced into an investigation to find out the true culprit of both slaughters. She’s paired up with a fallen angel, Hunt Athalar; and together, with help from Bryce’s fae brother Ruhn, they will unravel a mysterious conspiracy. While also growing closer together.

My thoughts on Crescent City

Outside of the spectacular personal brand that Sarah J. Maas has built over the years, one of the other things I love about her is how she’s able to capture an entire aesthetic in her prose. She has this ability to make the reader vividly see the characters, surroundings and their actions as she writes.

I saw many complaining about there being too much info-dumping and world-building in this book, but I would actually argue that this book has the least convoluted world-building I’ve read in a fantasy book.

But while I thoroughly enjoyed reading Crescent City and was entertained throughout all 816 pages, I cannot call it the perfect book. The book is marketed as adult fantasy, but when put up against other adult fantasy works it is nothing alike.

I believe the only thing that deems this adult fantasy is the fact that her characters are older than the ones in Maas’s previous books. But they generally act the exact same way her characters would act in her New Adult books. This left me asking the question, what exactly does separate this book from A Court of Mist and Fury? (My previous favourite Maas book.)

There’s tons more swearing, the characters are ‘older’, and instead of coming up with creative ways to refer to a penis, she flat out calls it a cock. But besides that, this book wasn’t exactly the kind of adult fantasy I was expecting. Either her previous books are already adult fantasy, or this one reads just like her NA/YA books.

Another thing I expected to see in Maas’ adult work, is more varied characters. And I don’t just mean characters of a different colour—which, she had a few in here. But they’re not exactly main characters that were present the whole way through—I mean characters who are completely unalike. But it seems like every one in Crescent City is a super model-like specimen who is attractive to all; including Bryce herself. Sure, Maas’ beautiful world pallet is something that separates her brand and makes her books standout, but again, in adult fantasy I believe more depth and variety should be given to readers. Even if the main cast are beautiful, powerful beings, why not have some supporting cast who are more varied in their looks and abilities?

My criticisms could just be a result of me misunderstanding what was meant by “adult fantasy” here, and in which case, I must commend Sarah J. Maas on another book full of dazzling escapism. But as someone who reads a ton of mature/adult books, I was expecting something that would enter the same realm but also have Maas’ signature fantasy aesthetic and prose.

Verdict

I want to be clear in saying that this is still one of my favourite Maas books period. I just had different expectations for it and in every review I write there’s a need to be critical.

With that being said, I recommend the book to anyone who has loved a Maas book (or something similar) and wants to try something in the urban fantasy realm. But if you’re expecting Game of Thrones or Black Leopard Red Wolf, then Crescent City is something quite different. Make sure you have the right expectations going in and there will be a ton to enjoy here.

Whenever a sequel comes, I’ll be the first in line to pre-order. Because Maas did create a new and fascinating world for new stories to be told.

What’s great about this book is the dystopian backdrop of the post-apocalyptic San Francisco that is vaguely described in the background as we follow Rick’s mission. This is set in a time when real animals are a rarity, with the remaining animals themselves being androids. It’s to the point where it’s extremely valuable to collect organic animals. The same could very easily happen to humans, hence the desire to retire (kill) the androids that lurk among society; before they can pave the way for an android invasion.

But Do Androids Dream of Electronic Sheep? isn’t full of android slaying action, because throughout the book Rick Deckard struggles with his own morals and principles. We see him not only fear the androids reflexes, but he also questions whether it’s right to take away an android’s life, even if they aren’t an organic being. We also get to witness a few surprise characters that are revealed as androids along the way.

If you’re just starting out in science fiction, this is an excellent piece of work to start with. And don’t worry, the movie is nothing like the novel, so you can enjoy both separately.

Buy at Amazon UK / Buy at Amazon US

-Featured Image Photo credit: Scraps from the Loft

It was the sound that eventually became labelled as Grime. To many, Grime music was an offshoot of the Garage genre that had come before it. But many like myself fell like Grime was the more authentic genre, as it captured the feeling of the streets. The voices of the oppressed and the misunderstood were captured within the Grime category, whereas Garage music was more of a mainstream urban take.

Reading Eskiboy by Wiley allowed me to relieve those times in my life when youths didn’t know how to express themselves well enough, so they let their music do the talking for them. This book perfectly encapsulates an era that has long since been lost.

I’m sure everyone in their thirties and beyond feels like the world has changed so much since their glory days. It’s part of getting old. But the pages of Eskiboy capture a decade in British culture in which we were spoiled with good—and original—music.

Wiley is a legendary music producer from East London — Bow to be exact. He’s responsible for top-ten hit Wearing My Rolex and number one hit Heatwave. He’s also responsible for the success of numerous other Grime artists, like Dizzee Rascal, Skepta and more.

In Eskiboy, Wiley sheds light on different stages of his life, his progression in the music industry, and as his philosophy on a number of social issues. The book also has chapters dedicated to Wiley’s song lyrics.

What’s most unique about this autobiography is that the perspective changes. Aside from Wiley, we also get his sister Janaya, his manager John Woolf, Wretch 32 and his parents perspectives. A few more artists also shed light on their experiences with Wiley and how he helped them progress.

What I also respected about the book is that Wiley doesn’t shy away from writing about the harsh moments in his career that are the most publicly recognised. One being the incident in which Dizzee Rascal was stabbed in Ibiza by a rival crew, and the other being when Wiley got his face cut open in an unwarranted act of violence.

Some readers may feel that he didn’t delve as deep into these topics as they’d like, but at least we know where he stands on both issues. There’s also an entire chapter where Wiley addresses the fact that him and Dizzee Rascal still have yet to speak.

Buy on Amazon UK

All in all, Eskiboy gave me a solid understanding of the mastermind that is Wiley. Love him or hate him, he’s achieved incredible things and he’s a staple of British culture, especially throughout 2000 – 2010. This book shows the human side of Wiley, the one that listeners might not see through all the negativity.

Those who enjoyed the New York setting in You, will be disappointed to know that Hidden Bodies takes place in Los Angeles instead. After Joe suffers some unfortunate events, he packs up and heads to Los Angeles in pursuit of someone who did him wrong.

From then on, Hidden Bodies begins to feel like a bunch of random events. The twists and turns become so bizarre that it feels like a reality show called “A day in the life of Joe Goldberg”. But even if the events feel random, Joe’s voice is so strong that you can’t help but tear through the pages.

Besides Joe —and a few returning characters with a short stay— Hidden Bodies features a new cast of supporting characters. One of the most entertaining aspects of the book is reading about how Joe views people from California, versus people in New York. Expect to see many Californian stoner stereotypes here.

Two of the most prominently featured new characters are Love and Forty, who are wealthy twins looking to make an impact in the show business. They become an interesting part of Joe’s journey, and they wind up changing him in many ways. While Forty is far from a likeable character, Love is so forgiving of everyone around her that her character isn’t at all believable. 

But once again, even with the complete randomness of this book, I was just as glued to it as I was the first one. There’s something about Joe’s character that is complete gold.

Hidden Bodies wouldn’t be a true sequel to You if it wasn’t packed with murders. This book continues tradition in that regard, but I must say that they’re not as impactful. You succeeded by making the reader care about the characters that died.

You, the reader, felt a sense that something significant had changed when a character died in the first book. But in Hidden Bodies, you’ll feel completely desensitized to the murders that occur.  This is partly due to the fact that the same person is able to continue their killing spree almost uncontested. It becomes harder to suspend disbelief with each killing.

But Joe does face some conflict. In general, Joe is much more vulnerable in this book than the first, though it’s often emotional.

With a new book already confirmed, I’m not sure how much longer the magic of Joe Goldberg can continue without the stories becoming laughable. Regardless, Hidden Bodies lives up to the trills of You. You is the better book, but if you finish it feeling the longing for more, Hidden Bodies will fill the void.

Buy on Amazon UK | Buy on Amazon US

As for the author, it’s clear to me that there aren’t enough Caroline Kepnes books in the world. Looks like Providence will need to be bumped up my TBR.

YOU is about book store manager Joe Goldberg’s obsession with aspiring writer Guinevere Beck, after she visits his book store. After a friendly conversation, Joe falls in love with Beck and looks up her information online to find out where she lives. He begins stalking her and watching her every move, eager to make her fall for him.

Typically when I read a book that deals with this subject matter, I feel so far removed from the psychopath that I could never understand their actions. But Caroline Kepnes is on record saying that Joe is somewhat an extension of herself, and it really shows. Despite being a nut-job, Joe feels so human and so real. He notices people’s taste in books, TV shows and clothes and he judges them for it. He’s condescending, sarcastic, hypocritical and worst of all, in love.

The story unfolds in a first-person current tense perspective, right inside of Joe’s mind. We share his every thought and feeling. We learn what he learns about Beck, and we understand his reactions to each revelation. And although we never see Joe through the eyes of another character, we see how clearly damaged he is. It makes you somewhat sympathetic towards him, despite his wrong-doing.

Beck is no saint herself, as she plays with the emotions of those around her, adding fuel to the fire in Joe’s mind. How Caroline Kepnes was able to understand the plight of a male in the current social climate is a mystery. She created a character of the opposite genre and nailed him. Not that all males are psychotic stalkers, of course; it’s moreso that she understands the consequences of rejection and the blatant disrespect that males are commonly forced to accept and be content with.

YOU has many emotional highs and lows. And it’s a page-turner to the fullest extent. Your mind will soon be deprived of Joe’s thoughts and actions and you’ll find yourself sneaking in chapters whenever possible. 

The only gripe I really have with this book is that there are times when major crimes are happening with zero consequences. There’s no investigation, and hardly any concern shown for the victim’s friends or family. An explanation for this is that we’re seeing things through Joe’s eyes only, and perhaps no word of the investigation gets back to him. But even then, it begins to feel improbable that there are no major consequences to these chain of events.

But the book is so satisfying to read that these gripes are forgivable. You’ll be willing to suspend disbelief out of pure enjoyment. The book does what it aims to do, and that’s keeping us turning the pages until we have no more Joe left on the page. Thankfully, there’s another book with Joe Goldberg to read.

Amazon UK | Amazon US

If you love a psychological thriller, then you NEED to read YOU! It’s that simple. Also look out for the TV show of the same name.