Vile Stars by Sera Milano

Vile Stars by Sera Milano
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - 1 day

Pages - 384

Publisher - Electric Monkey

Source - Vine & then bought copy

Blurb from Goodreads

(TRUE) LOVE
(TOXIC) LOVE
(LOST) LOVE

This is a different kind of love story.

17-year-old Luka isn't looking for love. She's trying to piece her life back together after a heartbreaking loss. But when she meets the gorgeous and charismatic Cosmo under a meteor shower at the Greenwich Observatory, it feels like destiny has played a hand. Surely theirs is a love written in the stars.

But Cosmo isn't what he seems, using Luka's love for him to slowly take control of her life. As the pandemic starts to make headlines and lockdown sets in, she is trapped emotionally and physically in a coercive relationship. Luka's friends and brother can see what's happening, but struggle to reach her. Something will have to be sacrificed so Luka can set herself free - but what will be left of her when she does?

Luka's story is told from many points of view: through her letters, and through the voices of her brother, Alec, his boyfriend Theo and Luka's best friend, Roisin. Each of them holds a fragment of the story - it's time to put it all together.


My Review

I don't know what I was expecting with this one, when I first got it and seen the trigger warnings I was looking after my dad so put it aside. The parental loss isn't a huge central theme but relevant to the characters and there are many emotive issues. The characters are young, taking exams age and a tight group, best friends Luka (main character) & Roisin, Luka's brother Alec and his boyfriend Theo. Luka and Alec lost their mother & live with their step dad and wee sister, Cosmo is lost, writing letters to her mum and leaving them at the grave. Enter Cosmo, a chance encounter and he sweeps Luka off her feet and that folks is when everything starts to change and become dark.

So I think this may be my first book with pronouns and a trans character and whilst Luka is central Theo and the issues surrounding them is hugely important and relevant. Cosmo is a piece of work, I haven't loathed a character like this in a while. Luka is in the flows of grief and dealing with loss, heartache and trying to find herself so when Cosmo comes along we see red flags and vile traits that Luka is blinded to.

Despite the characters being young the amount of adult themes and issues are relatable across the board. The toxicity of the relationship was really uncomfortable to read but so important and well done, homophobia, transphobic, isolation, coercion and you have friendships, relationships, grief, loss, coping or rather trying to.

This is my first time reading this author, I will absolutely check out their other works, 4/5 for me.

View all my reviews

Carved in Blood by E R Fallon

Carved In Blood by E.R. Fallon
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - 1 day

Pages - 211

Publisher - Endeavour press

Source - bought copy

Blurb from Goodreads

That happens when your mother kills your best friend, then goes on to kill other young men.

Wanting a clean break, Evelyn joins the Navy and afterwards goes to college.

It is around that time that Evelyn becomes Evan Lane and fully embraces being a man.

Now, Evan lives in Seven Sisters, a big city a few states over from Freedom Village, where he grew up.

He has a lovely girlfriend Sammie, a dog named Paige and a job cleaning up crime sites.

No one knows he’s transgender, or that his mother was the serial killer Alice Lane.

And that’s just the way he wants it.

Until the bodies of young men start showing up and Evan learns they have a message for Evelyn carved in their flesh.

But Evan’s mother is in prison.

So who is killing young men in Seven Sisters?

One day Evan wakes to find that someone he thought he could trust has sold his story and also divulged information about the investigation.

When it goes viral, Chief Gilani is furious and he is suspended.

With time on his hands, Evan figures he can clear his name before things get any worse…

He travels to his hometown of Freedom Village seeking answers.

For the first time in twenty years, Evan sees his mother and learns she might be innocent after all.

And he might be in the killer’s sights.

Carved in Blood is the gripping first installment of the Evan Lane Mystery Series .


My review

Evan is no stranger to dead bodies, he has a team that goes in and cleans up crime scenes. He also happens to be the off spring of a serial killer. As an adult Evan has nothing to do with his mother and has long since left the town he grew up in. Evan is in a happy relationship with Sammie, has a wee dog and quite happy with his lot. When bodies of young men start appearing in his area and he finds out one has a message relating to his old life Evan has to consider is the killer speaking to him? Is he in danger and will he need to face his past to survive his future?

So, as this is in the blurb it isn't a spoiler, Evan is transgender and with bodies piling up he needs to confront his past. His estranged mother has no idea Evan is transgender, in fact she knows nothing of his life. Evan finds himself having to "come out" deal with issues from the past and consider was there more to his mothers crimes that he initially knew?

The book has a few layers, the crime, Evan's personal life, trans phobia, relationship issues, unresolved issues with his mother, his past and how it all impacts on his current life plus a killer who seems to have Evan in their eye!

This is the first book I have read, I think, with a transgender character, it really makes you think about the issues, ignorance, hate and general vileness the trans community face just for living their lives as their true identity. All of this in among a killer on the loose and trying to keep a semblance of a normal life with the past ripping its way into Evan's present. For the start of a series I think it is a good paving stone for book one, I look forward to what is next for the characters and where the author decides to take the series, 3.5/5 for me.

View all my reviews