"The Breakdown"

“The Breakdown”

Written by B.A. Paris

Review written by Diana Iozzia

            “The Breakdown” is very reminiscent of other female character-driven psychological horrors, for example: “Gone Girl”, “Girl on the Train”, and “Before I Go to Sleep”. This is one to add to the list of really well-written psychological thrilling fiction.

            Our main character is losing her mind to early onset dementia, as she believes she inherited from her late mother. Cass is a teacher who witnesses a woman whose car broke down on the side of the road, as Cass is driving home from a work party. Cass doesn’t call the police, and leaves shortly after waiting to see if the woman needs help. She finds out that the woman was one of her co-workers, someone she had newly become friends with. Haunted by her guilt, Cass starts to forget simple details, about a friend’s birthday present, an alarm system bought when she can’t remember signing the receipt.

            This book turns into a whirlwind in the last half, after Cass finds something out that she shouldn’t have. This is written very well from the unreliable narrative of Cass, who is slowly losing her abilities to create new memories.

            THERE IS A HUGE PLOT TWIST. If you love plot twists that sucker punch you in the gut, open this book and dive in. In addition, the last chapter is really unexpected in the resolution, and I really welcomed that.

            There are some things I didn’t like with the book:

1. Cass is an unlikable character.

2. Her husband is slightly overbearing and annoying.

3. The plot twist is great, I thought it was really predictable. I enjoyed how it unfolded and the aftermath, but I wasn't surprised.

** I received this as a complementary, advanced reading copy from the publisher. **

"The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde"

“The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde”

Written by Robert Louis Stevenson

Review written by Diana Iozzia

          What a fantastic and morbid novel. Naturally, I had known about this story all of my life until I was very fortunate to read it in English class, I’ve read it thrice since.

          This is a bone-chilling and grotesque novel, for the time period, but it still holds its terror-inducing chills and thrills to this day. The dark, spooky London streets are haunted by a mysterious monster man, known as Mr. Edward Hyde. Why has our narrator, Mr. Utterson, noticed this Mr. Hyde lurking around the home and laboratory of his dear friend, Dr. Henry Jekyll?

          I love this novel for more than the deep and intriguing descriptions and interesting plot. You see the descent of madness that Dr. Jekyll endures in his letters and diaries. You also see the destruction of the man he once was, juxtaposed with the monster, Mr. Hyde.

          I love science fiction, and I believe that this is the second-best science fiction known to man, losing to Mary Shelley’s “Frankenstein”.

          Unfortunately, I will never be able to not know the secret behind Mr. Hyde. It’s on par with many literary and film twists, that once you know the secret, you would never read the story the same way. It would have been lovely to read this novel before knowing the truth about Mr. Hyde and Dr. Jekyll, but even so, this is a fantastic read. I almost forgot the secret, if that helps.

          I often find myself emerged in a book or story, then completely lose faith or lose interest. This happened in the first chapter, but that’s it? It felt like a slow start to me, but then I was more enraptured than I thought I could be. 

"The Picture of Dorian Gray"

“The Picture of Dorian Gray”

Written by Oscar Wilde

Review written by Diana Iozzia

            My, oh, me. This is probably one of the most hyped classic stories, along with the stories written by the Brontes, Shakespeare, Poe, and Jane Austen. However, I really do not think that the hype is well deserved for this book. I realize I’m a bit late to the game, but I am twenty-one, so I could have waited a longer time. If I’m correct, I read this in January 2016 as a Christmas gift.

            For the time period, it was an iconic, scandalous, crude, and creepy tale. It just doesn’t hold up as well in today’s society. Dorian Gray is an interesting villain, in theory. He’s a young, charming, charismatic, and licentious man, but he has a taste for the darker side. Slowly, the book unfolds how distorted he is. (But to be honest, he’s not really all that bad). For the time period and years after that, he was creepy. I just didn’t get an uncomfortable, creepy vibe from him. It’s interesting how he pursues his female love interest, but when he gets his way, he pouts like a little boy. In addition, there's a strange narration. 

            I was just disappointed in this book, in comparison to all of the other spooky classics out there.

"I Am No One"

“I Am No One” by Patrick Flannery

Review written by Diana Iozzia

            I sadly regret to inform you all that this is one of my least favorite books I have ever read. I was very intrigued to read this, because the plot idea of a man becoming paranoid that someone is stalking him sounded very appealing. However, this is a very ornery, impolite, and licentious old man who does not understand modern technology. He was involved with possibly bad people, so there begins the suspense, but you only find out the reason for the stalking in the second half of the book. Even so, you never really know why someone is stalking him. Seriously. There’s no resolution. The last chapter of the book is the man coming to terms with the fact he needs to seek out a lawyer for help. That’s it.

            This is the slowest read I probably have ever read. The prose is very descriptive, but it feels like the author is rambling. I understand that the character is supposed to be a stubborn, weird man who talks incessantly, but do I have to read from his perspective? He’s not an interesting perspective. I don’t have sympathy for his plight.

            I like the plot of modern day technology making stalking and watching someone become easy, however, nothing really happens as a result. I can’t believe it took me this long to read this book. It was so dissatisfying, I almost wanted to give up. It was very difficult to pick up this book. Honestly, I fell asleep while reading it once.

            I like the supporting characters, the narrator’s daughter and her husband. That’s it. I’m not sympathetic towards a character who leaves his wife and family and has a boring affair, and then is later stalked years later.

"Dark Souls"

"Dark Souls" by Paula Morris
Review written by Diana Iozzia

"Dark Souls" is a young adult fiction novel, full of ghosts, thrilling romance, and exploration in historic York, England. I read this when I was in my teenage years, but I re-read this two summers ago, when I was visiting York, England.

Miranda and her family are on vacation in York for the summer, so her mother can participate in an orchestra program. Miranda makes friends with a hipster-like guy named Nick, who shows her around the city. Soon, you realize that Nick is very shady and might not be telling the entire truth about himself. With lots of haunted folklore, it creates a creepy setting for the lovely city. 

I personally enjoyed "Ruined" by Paula Morris much more than this book, but for a second novel, it was quite creepy and interesting. There is a great sequence before the final climax. Good read for a young adult novel with some thrills and chills.

"Me Before You"

"Me Before You" by Jojo Moyes
Review written by Diana Iozzia 




"Me Before You" is one of my top five romance novels to this day. The sweet and earnest prose treat you to a sweet, honest, and kind love between a caretaker and her patient. 

Louisa, or Lou, Clark is a very unique and quirky young woman. After the coffee shop she worked in closes, she needs to find a new job, and begins working as a carer for a young quadriplegic man, Will Traynor. Lou is clearly unprepared to take care of this depressed and grumpy man, who is understandably unhappy with his paralysis. Lou treats Will to a nice couple of months, once she finds out that he is planning on ending his life with physician assisted suicide. 

Lou makes Will smile again, takes him on fun day trips to an orchestral concert, an unsuccessful horse race, and many more. This is a sad, happy, and complex novel, but I really enjoyed the realism and humanism of these characters. I highly recommend you tuck in with a cup of tea and maybe a few biscuits for this one. I absolutely absorbed this one in a matter of days.