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Book Review: Too Bright to See by Kyle Lukoff

Too Bright to See by [Kyle Lukoff]

Too Bright to See by Kyle Lukoff

Dial Books, 2021

ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0593111154

Available: Hardcover, paperback, Kindle edition, audiobook  ( Bookshop.org | Amazon.com )

 

 

Bug lives in a haunted house, but has only felt, not seen, the ghosts. Bug’s uncle and best friend, Roderick, also believed the house was haunted. Now Roderick is dead, leaving Bug and Bug’s mom behind, grieving.

 

It is the summer before sixth grade and Bug’s friend Moira is determined to make both of them over so they can fit in when they start middle school, but Bug doesn’t feel right about makeup and dresses.  Uncle Roderick may be haunting the house, Bug is having nightmares, and everything feels unsettled, scary, and somehow wrong.

 

With the help of Uncle Roderick’s ghost, Bug finally realizes that he is a trans boy. What’s lovely about Lukoff’s book is that, unlike a lot of coming out stories, where the protagonist faces negativity and bullying,  Bug is supported and loved by the people around him: his mom, his friends, his principal, teachers, school, and classmates.  His struggle is in realizing his identity as a trans boy, dealing with his grief over the death of his uncle, and the many changes that come with entering middle school.

 

All The Bright Places is a haunting, perceptive, optimistic story that all middle grade students should be able to relate to. It handles grief, identity, and growing up beautifully: jts designation as a Newbery Honor title is well-deserved. Highly recommended.

 

Reviewed by Kirsten Kowalewski

Posted on January 28, 2022 by , Reply

Book List: 2021 Favorites

Monster Librarian’s staff reviewed over 100 books in 2021. These included fiction, nonfiction, anthologies, short story collections, poetry, novels, graphic novels, and novellas of all kinds, for adults, teens, and middle graders, both traditionally and independently published. While many excellent books came our way, the following titles received the designation of “highly recommended” from our reviewers. With the exception of seven books on this list, these can all be purchased from our storefront at Bookshop.org.

I really hope that you will choose to support Monster Librarian by making your purchases though our storefront at Bookshop.org. or through the links provided with publication information in our reviews. We received almost no funding this year and were lucky to cover our hosting fees.

 

 

Novels:

The Final Girl Support Group by Grady Hendrix
Lakewood by Megan Giddings
Whisper Down the Lane by Clay McLeod Chapman
Seeing Evil (Cycle of Evil #1) by Jason Parent
Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
Children of Chicago by Cynthia Pelayo
Neptune’s Reckoning by Robert J. Stava
(Con)Science by PJ Manney
Final Girl by Wol-vriey
The Between by Ryan Leslie
Constance by Matthew Fitzsimmons
To Dust You Shall Return by Fred Venturini
Devil’s Creek by Todd Keisling
The Deep by Alma Katsu
Goblin: A Novel in Six Novellas by Josh Malerman
The Burning Girls  by C.J. Tudor
The Last House on Needless Street by Catriona Ward
The Other Black Girl by Zakiya Dalila Harris
Of One Blood by Pauline Hopkins

 

Young Adult:

Clown in a Cornfield by Adam Cesare
Beasts and Beauty: Dangerous Tales by Soman Chainani

 

Middle Grade:

The Girl and the Ghost  by Hanna Alkaf
Root Magic by Eden Royce
The Year I Flew Away by Marie Arnold
Amari and the Night Brothers by B.B. Alston

 

Graphic Novels:

Road of Bones by Rich Douek and Alex Cormack
Elvira: Mistress of the Dark (vols 1 and 2) by David Avallone, art by Dave Acosta
The Shape of Elvira by David Avallone, art by Fran Strukan (issues 1-3) and Pasquale Qualano (issue 4)
The Masque of the Red Death: Fine Art Edition by Edgar Allan Poe

 

 

Collections:

Coralesque: And Other Tales to Disturb and Distract by Rebecca Fraser
From the Depths: Terrifying Tales by Richard Saxon
Children of the Fang and Other Genealogies by John Langan
Burning Girls and Other Stories by Veronica Schanoes
Grotesque: Monster Stories by Lee Murray

 

Anthologies:

Attack From the ’80s edited by Eugene Johnson
Howls from Hell: A Horror Anthology edited by HOWL Society
Not All Monsters: A Strangehouse Anthology by Women of Horror edited by Joanna Roye and G.G. Silverman
Wicked Women: An Anthology of the New England Horror Writers edited by Jane Yolen and Hilary Monahan
Miscreations: Gods, Monstrosities, and Other Horrors edited by Doug Murano and Michael Bailey

 

Poetry:

Tortured Willows: Bent. Bowed. Unbroken. by Lee Murray, Geneve Flynn, Christina Sng, and Angela Yuriko Smith
A Complex Accident of Life by Jessica McHugh
Cradleland of Parasites by Sara Tantlinger

 

Nonfiction:

Cult Cinema by Howard David Ingham
Encyclopedia Sharksploitanica by Susan Snyder
The Devil and His Advocates by Nicholas Butler
Women Make Horror: Filmmaking, Feminism, Genre by Alison Peirse
The Science of Women in Horror: The Special Effects, Stunts, and True Stories Behind Your Favorite Fright Films by Kelly Florence and Meg Hafdahl
1000 Women in Horror: 1895-2018 by Alexandra Heller-Nicholas
Glamour Ghoul: The Passions and Pain of the Real Vampira, Maila Nurmi by Sandra Niemi
Writing in the Dark by Tim Waggoner
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Posted on January 4, 2022 by , Reply

Book Review: Castle of Horror Anthology Volume 6: Femme Fatales

cover art for castle of horror volume 6

Castle of Horror Anthology Volume 6: Femme Fatales

Castle Bridge Media, 2021

ISBN: 9781736472682

Available : Paperback, Kindle edition ( Bookshop.org | Amazon.com )

 

This is the sixth installment in a series of horror anthologies which, somehow, sadly had escaped my radar. Too bad, because if the previous five volumes are as good as this one I missed a lot of good dark fiction.

 

The present book assembles sixteen short stories, none of which is a misfire. Some tales are excellent, some are good, and a few just fairly good. All the authors are women as are the main characters involved in the narratives.

 

I will focus on the best (to me) of the lot.

 

“The Hunt” by PJ Hoover is a superb, tense, piece of graphic horror with a nice little twist in the tail, while “Poker” by S. de Freitas is a great tale describing a tantalizing poker game between two dangerous predators.

 

SN Rodriguez contributes “ The Carpenter”, a dark fable about unrequited love, and Jess Hagemann provides “Comfort Woman”, a perceptive, well-told story about women taking care of lonely and/or suicidal men.

 

In the enticing “Maidel” by Beth Kander, a disembodied female spirit makes an unusual proposal to a living woman.

 

My favorites are the splendid “Lovesome” by Katya de Becerra, a tale featuring a young, sensitive witch dealing with magic, power and love, and “ Do You Want to Live Forever?” by Christina Berry, an outstanding  story with a distinct vampiresque flavor and a slightly melancholy undercurrent.

 

While you’re enjoying volume six, I’m going to secure a copy of the previous five….

 

Reviewed by Mario Guslandi

Posted on January 2, 2022 by , Reply
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