Book Review: We Speak Through the Mountain by Premee Mohamed 5/5 Stars

 Sometimes the middle book in a trilogy is considered the weak one.  If this is the weak one, I cannot wait to read book three!!!! 

 We Speak Through The Mountain picks up right where The Annual Migration of Clouds leaves off.  I highly recommend just reading the two as one novel, because they are novellas, and book two is where this really gains steam. 

(Take a moment to look at this cover!) 

No Spoilers- because spoilers are just wrong. Readers will continue a journey with our main character Reid as she reaches the fabled Howse University. This climate dystopia continues to help readers imagine life after climate collapse; instead of being on the outside looking in, the reader is now taken into the protected domes which had preserved life to pre-collapse times.  We learn some answers to many of the questions raised in the first book.  Reid settles in to university life, although she's uneasy about many things that others seem to accept without question. She's resolute in pursuing her goal to help those outside the glittering protective dome despite strong disapproval from leaders and her peers. When bad news come from home, Reid embarks on a new journey that promises to be full of risky adventure.  (which I am super excited to follow in the next novella!) 

   At the crux of the novella series is an age old conflict between responsibility to self, family and the community overall. This conflict is set in a futuristic, but realistic world which is well imagined and easily understood.  Mohamed's writing remains clear, compelling and cinematic. As I realized I was at "the end" I felt a bit torn away from the setting that I had become immersed in, and I wondered why this hasn't been optioned for film! 

  I really liked this novella, and I think it would be a fantastic one for young adult students to read and discuss. 

I have book three tee'd up thanks to Net Galley  and ECW Press  and I can't wait to come back and (without spoilers...) tell you how it concludes. 

STATS

First Published : June 2024

Pages: 152

Available as an Audio Book : YES

Trigger Warnings: violence, blood, death, grief, medical situations,  (not a complete list- be responsible!)

Book Review: The Night Birds By Christopher Golden 4/5 stars

 If you are looking for a suspense/thriller novel that doesn't rely on some of the usual thriller tropes and themes, this might be a book for you! 

I was so happy to be approved for the audiobook via Macmillan and NetGalley!  It fits right in to my Water 2025 theme, and, I could not resist the cover at all. 

(Cover art by Peter Bergting and Cover Design by Errick Nunnally)

To be 100% honest, I might have skipped over the title if I hadn't seen the cover. I'm not at all familiar with Christopher Golden, and the firs time I read the description, it... maybe didn't pique my interest, but darn it all, that cover! 

   In short (No spoilers!) Charlie and Ruby used to be an item, but, alas, many good things come to an end. Charlie's working for the state on a research project involving a partially submerge freighter ship with a team of characters who you'll come to love. As often happens in Galveston, a storm is brewing. Charlie's team part ways for the night, with Charlie intending on spending the night on the ship. Arriving at the dock he's confronted with Ruby- a very personal "blast from the past". She needs his help. She's got an infant in tow and obviously, they're running from something. So far this sounds exactly like a lot of thrillers you've read, indeed. I was settling in for this, when the novel took a macabre turn involving some very creepy beings, birds and lots of ritualistic behavior that had me floored. This novel has the suspense and the thrills but also come dripping in gore, pure terror, and dark creatures not of this world. There were some moments when I really felt I needed to look behind me while I was listening to this narration! While there aren't exactly "jump scares" in this gem, there are many moments which had me sort of sucking in a breath. I was surely engaged for all of it. In fact, I finished this in record time because  I HAD TO KNOW! 

  Overall, I had a lot of fun with this wild ride which takes place in a span of maybe 18 hours. It's well written and has a sort of cinematic feel to it, leaving the reader with very little time to catch a breath as the adventure rolls on. 

   The narrators for this adventure are Patricia Santomasso and Sean Patrick Hopkins. I was never distracted by the narration, and felt that they did a great job with the super creepy, gory material! 

  This goes on sale May 6th.  I think it would make a great gift for Mother or Father's day - for the Right Mother and Father. (Mine will be getting some goat's milk soap- but others... might go for this wild ride of grim horror!)  

STATS

First Published  May 2025

Pages: 304

Available as an Audio Book : Yes

Trigger Warnings:  violence, murder, theme of abuse and loss, Supernatural killers, infant loss, natural disaster angry birds, 

(this is not a full list, read responsibly)