✦ Book Review Triple Shot ✦

Rage Therapy – Daniel Kalla | Where All the Dead Lie – J.T. Ellison | Blood Song – Anthony Ryan

Some weekends, all I crave is that sense of escape—sometimes it’s the long drive into the Okanagan, winding roads, the hush of the pines, the quiet that lets the noise in my head settle. Other times, I stay in, barricade myself against the world, and brew coffee so intense it could start a fight on its own. Those are the weekends for books that don’t just entertain but unsettle, challenge, and drag me through the mud and back out again. These three novels did just that—each one obsessed with the darker edges of the human experience, each one leaving splinters behind long after the last page.

Rage Therapy — Daniel Kalla

Set in a Vancouver that feels as raw and unpredictable as the characters themselves, Rage Therapy is a relentless plunge into the shadowy intersections of psychotherapy and violence. Kalla’s background as an ER doctor bleeds into every scene, lending a gritty authenticity to both the medical details and the emotional wounds his characters carry. The story asks uncomfortable questions about anger—whether it can be controlled, where it comes from, and if there’s a point at which it stops being a symptom and starts becoming the disease. The narrative is taut, the prose sharp enough to cut, and beneath it all simmers that Fight Club energy: the sense that the real battles are always internal, and the most dangerous opponent is the self you try to hide. Watching the therapist and patient circle each other, you can’t help but question your own boundaries, your own triggers. By the end, you’re left with the uneasy sense that rage isn’t just destructive—it might also be the engine that drives us forward, for better or worse.

Verdict: A gripping, cerebral ride that refuses to offer easy answers. It’s rare for a thriller to feel this plausible and this personal. 8.5/10

Where All the Dead Lie — J.T. Ellison

This is southern gothic at its most intoxicating: crumbling estates, thick, humid air laced with secrets, and trauma that festers like an open wound. Ellison’s protagonist arrives at a remote manor to heal from the unthinkable, but the house itself seems to pulse with memories, both hers and those that came before. The murder mystery is just the surface—what really hooked me was the descent into psychological horror, the way Ellison blurs the lines between past and present, sanity and delusion. Her writing is lush and feverish, painting every scene with a sense of dread and longing. You’re immersed in a world where reality is as fragile as the protagonist’s mind; every time you feel grounded, the story shifts, and suddenly you’re lost in the labyrinth again. The novel raises questions about grief and recovery, about how trauma can haunt both places and people, and how sometimes the real ghosts are the memories we can’t let go.

Verdict: A hypnotic, immersive read that lingers like a half-remembered nightmare. It’s a story that doesn’t just want to scare you—it wants to haunt you. 8/10

Blood Song — Anthony Ryan

If you’re yearning for epic fantasy that refuses to coddle, Blood Song should be at the top of your list. Ryan crafts an entire world that feels lived-in and merciless, a place where loyalty is both a weapon and a curse. The novel is as much about faith and sacrifice as it is about swordplay and politics. Vaelin Al Sorna emerges as a hero forged by pain and circumstance—he’s a legend in the making, but the book never lets you forget the cost of that legend. The story unfolds slowly at first, with a focus on Vaelin’s brutal upbringing and the brotherhood that forms among outcasts and survivors. But when the action kicks in, it’s relentless, filled with battles that leave both physical and emotional scars. The prose has a lyrical quality that elevates the violence and the heartbreak, turning every victory and loss into something mythic. What sets this book apart is its willingness to dwell on consequences; nothing comes easy, and every choice carves its mark on the characters’ souls.

Verdict: An unflinching, beautifully crafted saga that balances bloodshed with genuine emotion. It’s a reminder that even in worlds of magic and war, what matters most are the bonds we forge and the truths we refuse to surrender. 9/10

Final Thoughts

Each of these novels delivers a different brand of intensity—psychological, atmospheric, and epic—and each one left a different mark on me. Rage Therapy made me question the boundaries between healing and harm, forcing me to confront the parts of myself I’d rather ignore. Where All the Dead Lie drew me into a haunted world where pain is both punishment and companion, making me feel the weight of loss and the ache of memory. Blood Song swept me away into a brutal, beautiful world, reminding me that heroism is often just survival with scars. Together, they’re a trifecta for anyone who wants more from their fiction than simple escapism—books that demand you pay attention, that leave you changed. Best read when the rain drums against the window, your coffee forgotten and cold, because the stories have drawn you in so completely you barely remember where you are.