6-15-25 — Christina Critiques
- Christina Pfeiffer
- Jun 15
- 3 min read
Oooooh, friends. There is so much goodness this week I could barely contain myself! So I’m going to shut up and let you get to adding to your TBR.
BOOKS OF BLOOD VOL. 2
By: Clive Barker
Release: 3/19/23
Page count: 205
KU: No Hoopla: No
Synopsis: Five stories ranging from insane professors to demons from Hell and apes.
First line: “There is no delight the equal of dread.”
Favorite line: “… split beaver shot of Cheryl, caught reading Kant?”
Thoughts: The way this man writes - just the imagery is unmatched. Only one story didn’t hit the mark for me - “New Murders in the Rue Morgue” but even that wasn’t terrible. But the true gem in this collection was “The Skins of the Fathers.” Holy Toledo.
Rating: 4.5/5
Other recommendations: I will be continuing the series.
EARLY REVIEW
DETECTIVE NOVEL
By: Craig Rodgers
Release: 7/25
Page count: 77
KU: No Hoopla: No
Synopsis: Linus is on a mission to find out the story of a missing man but gets tangled in a web of secrets that should have stayed that way.
First line: “The bridge leans at a cant awkward and unnatural.”
Favorite line: “A leaf in a river does not hurt the flow.”
Thoughts: HOLY SHIT. Seriously. Imagine James Ellroy (minus the slurs) and the basic premise of THE BIG LEBOWSKI (a man on a quest for answers but ends up going on numerous side quests). This is the most unhinged thriller, noir, whodunit, fever dream I have ever read and I’m in love with every damn word.
How it starts as one story and then turns into a multi-forked storylined river with a cast of severely flawed characters - just adds to the perfection of this novella.
Best book I have read in 2025.
Rating: 10/5
Other recommendations: FRANCIS TOP’S LOST CIPHER, ONE MORE NUMBER
WE HAD TO REMOVE THIS POST
By: Hanna Bervoets
Translated by: Emma Rault
Release: 5/14/22
Page count: 121
KU: No Hoopla: No
Synopsis: Kayleigh is telling her story of working as a moderator for a social media platform. She must decide right from wrong but what happens when it bleeds into her real life and relationships?
First line: “So what kinds of things did you see?”
Favorite line: “I knew what I was getting myself into.”
Thoughts: There are so many different avenues for social commentary; censorship vs. protection, leader/follower mentality, desensitization (media and personal boundaries), frivolous lawsuits, stalker behaviors, mental health, the list goes on and one. A well-written and thought-provoking novella that is severely underrated.
Rating: 4.5/5
EARLY REVIEW
THE DEVIANT Vol. 2
By: James Tynion IV
Illustrated by: Joshua Hixson
Release: 6/17/25
Page count: 180
KU: No Hoopla: Yes
Synopsis: Michael is now under arrest for a crime he says he did not commit but the crime scene that has his ID and the bloody clothes in his closet seem to say something different. What happens when his partner gets intertwined as a suspect?
First line: “Okay. I don’t think I my mom will be back for, like, a half hour.”
Favorite line: “But he’s just a REGULAR weird, moody guy.”
Thoughts: Poor Michael and Derek, if it’s not one thing it’s another. The detective is so damn good in this volume and I grew to even like The Deviant Killer. How Tynion can make the worst of the worst have humanity is remarkable.
Rating: 4.5/5
Other recommendations: This entire series
TIMOR INFINITUM
By: Kevin Lucia
Release: 2/28/25
Page count: 47
KU: Yes Hoopla: No
Synopsis: Mitch and two friends go in search of the perfect place to get high, what they find will make them regret it until their last breath.
First line: “The ferocity of Mitch’s attack surprised Jeff, for good reason.”
Favorite line: “uno modo relinquo”
Thoughts: This was a total mind fuck. From the beginning, Lucia throws the reader into an unraveling of epic proportions. What is real? Who is real? Is ANYTHING real? A quick read but don’t let that fool you. There’s a lot in 47 pages.
Rating: 4.5/5
Other recommendations: DEVOURER OF SOULS, OCTOBER NIGHTS
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