Does Mastodon have people who review comics? I was recommended try to find out people willing to give my comicbook - or the Web comic - an honest review.

I cannot provide book copies, but the webcomic is entirely free to read in Tapastic, and the first 100 comics are the ones shown in the comicbook. It isn't exactly same experience visually, as the book contains bonus art and comics, but technically it is the same thing.

#comics #ComicReview #Reviewer #WebcomicReview #Bookstodon #FediHelp

Everything She Ever Wanted by Ann Rule

Hello beautiful people! Welcome to a new review! For this review, I get into an Ann Rule true crime book that focuses on the life and crimes of Patricia Taylor, who reigned terror on those around her in the 1970’s. While this wasn’t my favourite Ann Rule book I’ve read so far, it was still an interesting case and well written overall.

People of focus in the book:

Pat Taylor Allanson– Easily the most fascinating and frustrating part of this story. Watching her behaviour escalate over time is honestly disturbing, especially because so many people around her either ignored it, enabled it, or excused it. The deep dive into her life, family, and relationships adds a lot to understanding how everything spiralled the way it did.

Tom Allanson – Pat’s current husband at the time of the crime and an interesting character throughout the story. Ultimately allows his marriage to Pat to push him to do things people could never imagine. Is arrested for the crimes and continues to have a horrifically toxic relationship with Pat for many years.

Walter and Carolyn Allanson – Tom’s parents and not huge fans of Pat. Are murdered in the basement of their home one night, which leads to an exposure of Pat for years to come.

Clifford and Maggie Radcliff – Pat’s parents, who are aggravating people to read about. Defend their daughters’ insanely poor behaviour for years, financially support her, and excuse pretty much everything she does, showing us how this woman ended up this way.

My Review

As mentioned above, Everything She Ever Wanted isn’t a favourite of the Ann Rule books I have read, but it is still an enjoyable, interesting read overall. I did rate the book a 6.5/10, not because of how it was written, but more so the pace and the fact that there are a few unanswered and confusing bits to the book. I appreciated that Ann didn’t play sides or excuse poor behaviour from anyone who was in Pat’s life. She does have sympathy for some things that maybe I don’t, but I can appreciate her ability to be open to presenting all perspectives. I also enjoyed getting to dive into a case I had never heard of before, and it is a bit older, but it is a bit of a slower read and a touch repetitive.

In this true crime story, Ann Rule explores the disturbing case surrounding Pat Allanson and the manipulation, control, and violence that followed her throughout her life. Pat became under the scope of the law when the parents of her husband, Tom, were murdered in their home. Tom, not being Pat’s first marriage and her having a reputation of being a bit of a scammer raise eyebrows of those around her, including her successful in-laws. Obsessed with living a life exactly as she envisions, Pat makes many choices to push herself to the top, crushing the ones who love her under her foot all the while. With no care but to be seen as this amazing, successful, attractive woman, Pat’s crimes come to light in a desperation to be something she’s not. As the book unfolds, it examines not only the crimes themselves, but also the family dynamics, relationships, and warning signs that surrounded Pat for years. Through extensive background and investigation, the story paints a picture of how dangerous behaviour can grow unchecked when the people around someone continually look away.

Overall, this was a really interesting true crime story, especially because it’s an older case I had never heard of before. One thing I always appreciate about Ann Rule’s books is how deeply she dives into the people involved, and this one definitely does that. You don’t just get the crime itself; you get the history, the family dynamics, the relationships, and the environment surrounding everything that happened.

And honestly, that was both one of the strongest and weakest parts of the book for me. The deep dive into Pat’s life was fascinating. Seeing how her parents and the people around her played such a huge role, while also seemingly doing nothing to stop her behaviour, was genuinely disturbing. It becomes this ongoing pattern throughout the book where people excuse things, ignore red flags, or enable behaviour that clearly should’ve alarmed them.

But at the same time, it makes for a pretty exhausting reading experience. Not because the book is bad, but because you spend hundreds of pages watching people fail to intervene in increasingly concerning situations. It’s frustrating in a very realistic way, which I think was probably the point.

The biggest issue for me was the pacing. The book felt very repetitive at times. I understand that a lot of the repeated details and background information were relevant to building the case and understanding the people involved, but it often felt like we were circling the same points over and over again. It slowed things down quite a bit and made parts drag more than necessary. I also felt like certain elements never fully clicked into place for me, particularly regarding Tom and the events at his parents’ house. There’s a lot discussed, but I still finished the book feeling uncertain about exactly what happened there.

That being said, the story itself is undeniably compelling. Even when the pacing lagged, I still wanted to keep reading because the case is just so bizarre and unsettling.

Overall, this definitely isn’t my favourite Ann Rule book, but I’d still recommend it to true crime readers because the story itself is incredibly interesting. Just be prepared for a slower, more detailed read that focuses heavily on the people and psychology behind the case rather than nonstop momentum.

Book Review: The Burnt Sugar Club

The Burnt Sugar Club introduces us to the exhaustion, competition, and emotional burdens carried by five women — Iris, Emerald, Emma, Ava, and Hope. Each of them is struggling with issues of her own, and the author beautifully explores the idea of perspective throughout the narrative. Often, we assume someone else’s life is easier or better than ours, without truly knowing the battles they are fighting behind closed doors.

Beyond the usual “grass is greener on the other side” idea, this story focuses on women who silently carry responsibilities, emotional fatigue, and expectations that the world rarely notices. The book begins by addressing one of the most important realities in many women’s lives — burnout. It captures the unexplained exhaustion that never really allows women to stop working, caring, or fulfilling responsibilities. No matter what happens, there is always this silent expectation to keep going.

One of the most intriguing aspects of the novel is the absence of a specific location, ethnicity, city, or country. The story feels universal because it could belong to women anywhere in the world. The experiences of Hope, Emerald, Ava, Iris, and Emma are relatable irrespective of where the reader comes from. Their emotions and struggles feel familiar, making the narrative deeply personal and comforting at the same time.

The five women meet by chance and gradually form a friendship that becomes the emotional backbone of the story. As the author herself describes them, they are chaotic yet comfortable, burned, scarred, and changed. Their shared meeting place becomes symbolic of the larger theme of the novel, and I loved how this space slowly transforms into a place of safety, healing, and understanding for all of them.(read the book and find out the place)

While the book mainly explores female friendships, it was refreshing to see men portrayed as allies as well. The author does not dismiss the individuality of a character, irrespective of gender, and allows every person in the story to contribute meaningfully to the narrative.

Each woman brings something relatable to the table and, in many ways, makes readers reflect on themselves. As the story progresses, something much more drastic comes to light, and The Burnt Sugar Club becomes more than just a group of women finding solace in one another. It evolves into a story about survival, emotional support, and rediscovering oneself.

The novel beautifully captures the essence of female friendships — women lifting each other up even when they themselves are struggling. Mental health and the idea that “it’s okay to not be okay” are addressed naturally and sensitively throughout the book. The author also does not shy away from awkwardness, flaws, and imperfections that are often hidden or ignored.

Talking about the writing style, especially considering this is a debut novel, Akoparna B delivers confidently with a distinct narrative voice. I appreciate how she remains consistent with her storytelling style and avoids unnecessary dragging or over-explaining. The writing stays engaging and emotionally grounded.

One character experience that stayed with me the most was Hope’s journey. She represents every “good girl” learning to finally choose herself — someone creating boundaries, taking up space, and no longer constantly giving pieces of herself away for others.

There were moments where I wished for slightly more character development for Emerald, but overall, the book flows smoothly and keeps you invested till the very end. The Burnt Sugar Club is an emotionally relatable debut that celebrates friendship, vulnerability, healing, and the quiet strength women carry every single day.

Incidents Around the House by Josh Malerman

Hello beautiful people! Welcome to a new review! For this review, I get into the second Josh Malerman book I have checked out, Incidents Around the House. Having enjoyed Bird Box quite a bit I was expecting to enjoy this one much more than I did. Overall, the plot isn’t terrible, but it was executed in a way I just did not enjoy, with characters I struggled to follow.

Main Characters:

Bela – A young girl and our main character in the story. The book is told through the perspectives of herself and her family, and her character addition added a very childish nature to the book. Bela and her family have their lives turned upside down when Bela tells her parents that a woman named Other Mommy has been living in her room for a long time and is looking for something from her that she isn’t sure she can give.

Ursula and Russ – Bela’s parents, who have their own secrets just like their daughter. Struggle to navigate how to protect their family from this paranormal being that is looking to destroy them.

Other Mommy – The paranormal entity haunting Bela is genuinely creepy in concept. The idea itself is strong and definitely has the potential to be deeply unsettling.

My Review

I really, really, thought I was going to like this one so much more than I did. Sadly, Incidents Around the House goes wrong in so many ways, and not in an enjoyable way. I found myself so aggravated by the tone of the book, the childish aspects, and just how these characters were handling themselves. It also just ended up being kind of boring and repetitive as it went on. Given that Bela is a young girl, I understood why it was written this way; she’s a young child trying to process terrifying things happening around her, but personally, I just could not connect with the childish narration style. Overall, I landed on rating the book a 4/10, and while I wouldn’t really recommend this one to others, I do encourage checking out some of Josh Malerman’s other stuff, because it is much better.

The story follows young Bela, whose life becomes increasingly terrifying when a paranormal entity she calls “Other Mommy” begins haunting her home. As the presence grows more invasive and dangerous, Bela’s family struggles to understand what’s happening and how to protect her. Told through Bela’s childlike perspective and her untrustworthy parents’ eyes, the story leans heavily into psychological and supernatural horror as reality becomes harder to trust.

I enjoyed Bird Box by Josh Malerman, so I went into this expecting another creepy, tension-filled horror story, but this honestly came close to being a DNF for me. The frustrating part is that the premise itself isn’t bad at all. A young girl being hunted by a horrifying paranormal being? That should absolutely work for me. And there are moments where the concept of Other Mommy feels genuinely unsettling.

The execution just did not land for me personally. The biggest issue was the narration style. Since the story is told through Bela’s perspective, everything is written with a very childlike voice and understanding of the world. I completely understand why Malerman chose to do that; it makes sense for the story, but I just couldn’t get immersed in it. Instead of making things feel creepier or more emotionally impactful, it mostly just frustrated me and made the book feel repetitive.

And honestly, I didn’t find it scary. At all. Which is rough for a horror novel built around atmosphere and tension. The way the characters handled the paranormal situation felt oddly boring to me instead of suspenseful, and I kept waiting for the story to really go there in a way that never fully happened.

I also found myself annoyed with basically everyone in the book, which made it even harder to stay invested emotionally. The pacing didn’t help either. It felt like the story kept circling the same ideas and conversations without enough progression, so instead of tension building, I just found myself losing interest.

The ending was okay. Not terrible, not amazing, just kind of there. It didn’t completely ruin the book for me, but it also didn’t do enough to redeem the reading experience overall.

I don’t think this is an objectively awful book, and I can absolutely see why some readers would connect with it more than I did, especially if the child narration style works for them. But for me, it just never came together.

Definitely not the first Josh Malerman book I’d recommend, but don’t write him off from this review because he is a fantastic writer with lots of good ones to check out. I just hit a dud.

Thank you for checking out this review. I hope you enjoyed it! Feel free to subscribe to the page to be one of the first to know when I release a new review.

Guys, guys. #Mixtape is an 7/10.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nXhc5jeEyZs

Is a vanagloried visual-novel, with very good presentation, as interactive as watching a movie with a pause/play button.

Visual novels are niche. Mixtape is not transformative, but reminescent, and it's good at re-evoking those feelings of old.

But a 10/10? Mixtape ain't no Ocarina of Time.

#Videogames #Gaming #Games #VisualNovel #Reviews #Review #Reviewer #LegendaryDrops

25 Irresistibly Good Cookie Bar Recipes

You don’t have to decide between cookies and brownies. Cookie bars are the perfect two-in-one dessert. Plus, they’re easy to make, easy to serve, and guaranteed to be a hit. Learn how to make decadent homemade cookie bars with these sweet recipe ideas. 01 of 25 The Best …
#dining #cooking #diet #food #RecipeTopics #allrecipes #cookiebars #credit #LemonBars #Recipes #reviewer
https://www.diningandcooking.com/2606093/25-irresistibly-good-cookie-bar-recipes/

Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir

Hello beautiful people! Welcome to a new review! For this review, I get into Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir, a highly beloved and talked-about science fiction novel. Now, personally, I am not much of a science fiction gal, so I really wasn’t sure what I was going to think. I ended up really enjoying the book (science and math stuff aside) and found the world and the characters to have really shone through, making it such an enjoyable read.

Main Characters:

Ryland Grace: Such an unexpectedly great main character. He’s smart (obviously), but not in an intimidating way. He questions things, messes up, figures it out, and brings a lot of personality to what could’ve been a super technical story. He made this book so much more approachable and, honestly, really fun to follow.

Rocky: I won’t say too much because it’s better to experience it, but one of the best parts of the book. The dynamic here is something I did not expect, and it adds so much heart, humour, and depth to the story.

Eva Stratt: The scientist who creates the mission that Grace goes on often butts heads with Grace on their ideas, but in a respectful, professional way.

My Review

As mentioned, I went into Project Hail Mary not really knowing what I was getting into or if I would like it. I did not expect to love this as much as I did. Sci-fi isn’t usually my go-to, and anything involving heavy math, science, or engineering? Also not my thing. So I went into this a little hesitant, but this book makes it so accessible. I didn’t really understand those aspects of the book, but I also didn’t feel like I needed to to really grasp what was going on in the story. You can feel the characters’ emotions, and that often showed me more than the science and math did. I rated Project Hail Mary a 9/10 rating, and would totally recommend it to people like me who don’t usually check out science fiction, or aren’t usually drawn to those types of stories.

In Project Hail Mary, we follow Ryland Grace when he wakes up alone on a spaceship with no memory of who he is or how he got there. As his memory slowly returns, he realizes he’s on a mission to save Earth from a catastrophic threat that could wipe out all life. As he pieces together what’s happening, the story jumps between past and present, showing how the mission came to be, and how Grace ended up being humanity’s last hope. Along the way, unexpected connections form, and the scope of the mission becomes even bigger than initially imagined. We, the readers, are spun a gorgeous world in space through the eyes of someone who never expected to be up there.

So yes, due to the plot of the book and Grace’s role in it, the book includes a lot of science, math and engineering. Yes, there’s complex problem-solving. But I never felt like I needed to fully understand every detail to stay engaged. The way it’s written keeps things clear enough that you can follow along without getting lost, which made a huge difference for me and how I was pulled into the book. What really pulled me in was how the story unfolded. The connections that are made throughout, especially the ones you don’t see coming, are so well done. It takes things in directions I never would’ve expected, and it just works.

And Grace as a character? Loved him. He carries the story in such a natural way, and you actually enjoy being in his head as everything unravels. He makes the high-stakes, end-of-the-world mission feel personal and grounded.

I will say, it’s a little unsettling how some of the issues in this book don’t feel that far off from real life. Like, it’s sci-fi, but also, not entirely? That added an extra layer of tension for me.

The space aspect was also just really cool. It’s such an out-of-reach concept for most of us, and I loved getting to fully dive into that world and go along for the ride. It felt immersive without being overwhelming.

And the ending? So good. It wrapped things up in a way that felt satisfying and meaningful, which isn’t always easy with a story this big.

I’m also really curious to see how the movie adaptation turns out, whether it sticks close to the book or switches things up a bit.

Overall, this completely surprised me in the best way. Super engaging, surprisingly emotional, and just a really fun (and slightly terrifying) ride through space.

I hope you enjoyed this review! Thank you for checking it out! Feel free to subscribe to the page to be one of the first to know when I release a new review!

From Wrath to Envy: A Grudge, A Throne, and a Very Worth-It Ride

A Review of Throne of the Fallen by Kerri Maniscalco

I was a BIG fan of Kerri Maniscalco’s work in the Kingdom of the Wicked series. Emilia and Wrath were a top book couple for me for a while– their banter and Wrath’s passion made for such a great story. I loved Wrath so much that I was delighted to find out she was going to explore the other Princes of Sin in a new series.

I actually picked up Throne of the Fallen while browsing Barnes & Noble, and a woman literally stopped me and said, “If you loved her previous work, you’re going to love this one.” With a live, on-the-spot recommendation like that.. how could I ignore a fellow bibliophile?

Going in, I had no intention thinking this would be a “popcorn read.” It was not what I expected coming off of Kingdom of the Wicked. But as I kept reading, I was delighted– in the best way.

Prince Envy and Camilla’s story was incredibly refreshing. In a fantasy world where the stakes are often sky-high, it was nice to see love unfold through a series of clues and games. Don’t get me wrong– the stakes are still there throughout the novel– but at the beginning of their relationship, things don’t feel as heavy. And honestly? That worked really well.

I was incredibly nevous about Maniscalco starting with Envy. All of the brothers are wicked in their own ways, but Envy was a character I didn’t have much fondness for in the earlier books– especially after what he did to Emilia and her family. Yes, I know it served the plot, but readers can also hold grudges.

It was going to take a lot more than a love with Camilla to bring me back around, Leviaethan. But you know what did bring me back around?

THE THRONE SCENE!!! I think I can safely say the “throne trope” is my favorite. And the added mirror bonus? Yeah… that did something to me. The way Camilla purposefully created a moment for him to look back on? I was like—- alright baby, I’m taking notes!!!

Overall, this was such a refreshing romantic fantasy read. In a genre where the stakes can sometimes feel overwhelming, it was nice to have something that still felt high-stakes, but in a more playful, almost scavenger-hunt kind of way– and I loved it!

I loved this from Maniscalco, and I cannot wait to read Throne of Secrets.

3.75 / 5 Stars

⭐⭐⭐⭐

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