Book review: Sometimes I Lie by Alice Feeney

Sometimes I Lie

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Sometimes I Lie 〰️

Holy mother of twists, Batman! This book hooked me right from the first page and held me right until the end. (Sequel, anyone? It was kind of left open for a sequel, and I wouldn't be mad if there were one. I need more. I feel like there is more to the story because of how it ended. But if not, it still has such a great ending).

We always wonder if those we love who are in a coma can hear us. In this case, Amber, who is in a coma, can do just that. She can feel and hear everything but is unable to react physically. No one knows she is aware of everything as she tries to piece together the mystery of what happened to her leading up to her accident that got her in this situation. But Amber is an unreliable narrator (love that), and because of that, we are on the edge of our seats the entire novel.

I'm not one for guessing twists or picking up clues that are usually obvious to most readers, but if there were hints as to what happened to Amber and her relationship with Claire and her ex, I didn't see them. The whole book was a wild guessing game as to who did what and why. And when you think you have it all figured out, Feeney pulls a fast one and hits you with twist after twist. I personally didn't see them coming.

When Amber was in the "now" chapters, you first took everything she heard at face value. But then, as time goes on, when you realize she often hallucinates (which I don't blame her; coma brain and all), you wonder what is real and what isn't, and it all adds to the mystery.

I love how the "now," "then," and "before" chapters all tell separate stories but blend into one in the end. Feeney is truly an expert storyteller. She can keep you guessing and wondering what we would have done in Amber's situation.

Loved this book from beginning to end and can't recommend it enough.

Book Review: Legion by William Peter Blatty

Legion

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Legion 〰️

I wanted to like this book. I really did. I enjoyed the first book, but this one fell flat. At least the dilouge and writing I hated in the first book had improved, so there's that.

I didn't see this book as part of the horror genre, and I barely saw anything demonic besides the killings. And this one is probably a me thing, but I found myself drifting thoughts and thus, I found the book super confusing. I didn't know what was happening most of the time. However, that's probably because I found it pretty dull and had to re-read different passages many times just to figure out what was going on.

I found the pacing to be pretty slow, and it only started being somewhat interesting in part two of the book, a little over halfway done. I felt parts one, and two were completely different novels, with part one being a whodunit and part two sort of demonic possession stuff, but not done nearly as well as The Excorcist.

Also, I wouldn't say I liked Kinderman in The Exorcist. I found him to be highly annoying. But I hated him even more because he was the main MC in this book. At least his speech was slightly different (both making him the same character from book one yet also somewhat different in this book). I felt like this book was written as a cash grab because of how popular the Excorsit was, as there are barely any returning characters from the first book, and we don't even hear about Chris or Regan in this one.

That being said, I'm sure this book appeals to some people. Maybe they may even find it terrifying. Sadly I don't think this book hit the mark.