After reading We Used to Live Here I was captivated. I went down a rabbit hole trying to make sense of everything that happened there, and then, I realized there was another book coming out and knew I needed to get my hands on it. The Caretaker is vastly different from Kilwer's first novel, but it is no less captivating.

Macy is a character that the reader gets to know pretty quick and the layers that get added in as the story goes on makes it easier to feel for her. It's easy to feel her desperation through the pages, and later, her panic. She's not perfect by any means, but Macy is a character who comes across as human. She makes stupid decisions that will have any reader yelling at her, even if it can be acknowledge how hard some of it might be, yet it felt hard not to root for her. Not simply because of the rites, but for her own mental state.

Kilwer uses a number of short sentences throughout The Caretaker. While this increases the pace of the novel, it also showcases Macy's mental state. Each sentence showcases how the rites are affecting her, slowly unraveling her. As difficult as some of those moments were to read, it was hard not find some beauty in what Kilwer was doing. Showcasing OCD as something far beyond wanting things to be clean and tidy like so many people still seem to think of it as was a relief to see.

For a horror novel, I don't think where The Caretaker actually shines. It shines more in the mental health aspect and the portrayal of grief. Grief overwhelms this story. Reading it, it's hard to ignore how it has affected every character and no one in the same way. It's show how non-linear healing from grief can be, how even time doesn't really fix it, there are just other ways someone has learned to deal with it. Kilwer is able to show grief in a way that hurts, but made me feel seen at the same time.

Fast-paced, with a number of short chapters, The Caretaker is hard to put down. There is a beauty in how Kilwer explores OCD throughout this novel that left me teary-eyed a couple of times while the ending left me staring at the wall for the rest of the day. I'm already excited to listen to the audiobook to see what new feelings that can bring forth while waiting for the next thing that he will release.

The Stranded sounds captivating with the summary bringing the nostalgia back for the dystopian novels that flooded the YA market for a while. Yet, the nostalgia was brought back in name only, as this novel failed to have me yearning for more dystopian novels.

Starting off, I admit I was confused. Daniels throws the reader straight in and then slowly gives more information to make it make more sense; unfortunately, the information doesn't keep coming after that. The world-building is severely lacking. None of the questions I had about this world were really answered. There were a number of moments that readers are supposed to roll with and accept despite how little sense it makes. It's a shame because getting three different POVs there was ample opportunity for development of the world, but that was never taken advantage of.

The characters themselves also came across as flat. Esther, Nic, and Hadley each had their one mission and there was nothing beyond that to make them stand out. That was their one purpose, driving force, and full personality. Between the lack of character development and world-building, it made it difficult to really get into the story.

This is probably more personal than anything, though I do think it did affect some aspects of the story, is the chapters. Short chapters can be great in a story as it naturally quickens the pace of everything, but it didn't work for The Stranded. Every time it felt like there might be some character progression, the chapter ended and the reader enters another POV. The constant switching made it feel like it was constantly starting and stopping, once again making it difficult to really get into the story.

There was a line around the 69% mark that nearly made me DNF the book, and honestly, I should have let this one go, but I continued. While there might not have been any lines that left me pausing and walking away, it didn't get better. By the time there was any action, I was so passed caring I still couldn't get into the story.

With current events, and even past events, this is also one that I would recommend suggesting based on that as I do think this could be a storyline that is a little sensitive for a number of people.

The Stranded might be good for someone in the target YA who hasn't read a lot of dystopian novels, but for anyone older or more well versed in the genre, this won't be the book for you.