THE COLD GIRL by Rachel Caine & THE WEREWIFE by Jaye Wells

Carniepunk: The Cold Girl by Rachel Caine
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I have to start this review by saying that I miss Rachel Caine. She was such a brilliant author and a lovely person, too. I don't think I've ever read a story of hers that I didn't enjoy, and this is another one to add to the awesome list.

Kiley's story starts out average enough. A teenage girl who loves her boyfriend is eager to go to the carnival with him. But everything soon falls apart when it becomes obvious that her perfect relationship with Jamie is a charade she's been too scared to accept.

There's a lot to love about this story: the writing is outstanding, Kiley's voice drags the reader into her nightmare, how vivid the sights and sounds of the carnival are, the true-crime aspect, and the realisation that Jamie is a monster hiding behind good looks. That's before I get started on the intriguing characters.

I loved the pacing, how everything unravelled, as well as the chilling imagery and descriptions.

What a great story!

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Carniepunk: The Werewife by Jaye Wells
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The first thing I need to mention is how cool the title is. I mean, it fits the story but it also sounds so cool.

Brad has a problem: his wife changes every month. Annie has a problem: she kinda likes becoming a beast every month.

Yeah, that's pretty much the gist of the story. It's a great study about two people who resent each other but insist on staying together. The whole werewolf thing becomes a way to hide behind all their other marital problems, but when they return to the carnival that started everything, some really surprising things happen.

I didn't expect their problems to turn out the way they did, which is very cool. I like unpredictable endings.

Great story!

 

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