Category: Horror

Categories
Adventure Fantasy Horror Mystery Supernatural Survival

HOUSE OF THE BEAST

By Michelle Wong. NOW AVAILABLE.

Narrated by Jeanne Syquia

Rating 4*

PUBLISHER’S SYNOPSIS

Born out of wedlock and shunned by society, Alma learned to make her peace with solitude, so long as she had her mother by her side. When her mother becomes gravely ill, Alma discovers a clue about her estranged father and writes a message begging for help. Little does she know that she is a bastard of House Avera, one of the four noble families that serve the gods and are imbued with their powers—and her father is a vessel of the Dread Beast, the most frightening god of all, a harbinger of death.

In a desperate exchange for her mother’s medicine, Alma agrees to sacrifice her left arm to the Beast in a ceremony that will bind her forever to the House and its deity. Regardless, her mother soon passes, leaving Alma trapped inside the Avera’s grand estate, despised by her relatives and nothing but a pawn in her father’s schemes.

Now vengeance is the only thing that keeps Alma going. That, and the strange connection she has with her god—a monster who is constantly by her side, an eldritch being taking the form of a beautiful prince with starlit hair that only she can see. He tells Alma that she has been chosen to bring change upon their world, and with his help, Alma plots a perilous journey to destroy the House that stole everything from her.

A gripping coming-of-age fantasy novel marked by divine rituals, intense combat, and twisted romance, House of the Beast is a tale of revenge, resilience, and the power of love to see us through the darkness.

REVIEW

This was an interesting fantasy epic about an underestimated girl who is deeply connected to a god and driven by vengeance.

Alma had a terrible life after her mother died. She was despised by her entore family and used bybher father for his own devices hidden within a grand and altruistic outward agenda.

There are some slight romantic leanings, but this story is mostly about seeking justice and protecting those who cannot protect themselves, even if you are looked down at by the very people who ultimately depend on you to succeed. It had been awhile since I had read something where thr romance wasn’t high on the list and I actually did enjoy it.

Both the audiobook and the book were good, and I enjoyed the narrator.

Thanks to NetGalley and Harper Voyager for an advanced Audiobook & ebook copy in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Categories
Fantasy Graphic Novels Horror

MURDER KINGDOM

A Graphic Novel by Fred Van Lente, Chris Panda, and Becca Carey. Pub Date 05-20-25

Story Rating: 4*

Art Rating: 4*

PUBLISHER’S SYNOPSIS

Tanith and her best friend are trapped overnight in a fantasy-themed amusement park where someone is killing the employees in the gruesome fashion of the original fairy tales! They have to unravel the mystery before they become the next victims and live never ever after…

Once upon a time, in a strange land called Florida, a masked psycho starts murdering cast members of the Storybook Kingdom theme park in ways identical to the gory original Grimms’ Fairy Tales. Princess-turned-detective Tanith is the only person who can unmask the killer before she and her friends are all Dying Unhappily Never After!

THOUGHTS

This was a tight graphic novel. It was basically serial killer at a theme park, fairytale meets slasher story. The art was great and gave some really great moments where the fairytale cross over was super apparent and gave dark, early Grimm Brothers vibes. I enjoyed it.

Thanks to NetGalley and Mad Cave Studios for an advanced ebook copy in exchange for a fair and honest review!

Categories
Fantasy Graphic Novels Horror Mystery Romance

THIRD SHIFT SOCIETY

Series Rating 4.5*s

VOLUME 1 & 2. By Meredith Moriarty

VOLUME 1

PUBLISHER’S SYNOPSIS

“In one afternoon, Ellie discovers that monsters are real, she has latent psychic powers, and a well dressed man with a pumpkin for a head wants her to be his partner. It’s a lot to take in. Now the clumsy but determined Ellie and her Pumpkin-headed boss Ichabod have to team up and fight the things that go bump in the night.

Before she can say “boo,” Ellie finds herself tangled up in a magical world where monsters are real, demons tend bar, and psychic conversations take place in a super unsettling mystical void. And there are even more dangerous forces at work, just out of sight.

This volume collects Season 1 of the bewitching WEBTOON comic Third Shift Society.”

REVIEW:

This was an excellent start to a much beloved supernatural mystery Webtoon series and the page setup for the graphic novel did it justice. There’s this will they/won’t thay that really plays out well and the art is reminiscent of other paranormal animated media, like the old Ghostbusters show/Scooby Doo. I mean that as a delicious compliment because they are shows I loved and they hit that nostalgia for me while also giving me a one-two punch  right in my romantic tension/spooky loving adult feels.

Thanks to Netgalley and Webtoon for the advanced copy in exchange for this review.

VOLUME 2

PUBLISHER’S SYNOPSIS

“Life’s funny. One minute you’re jobless, deep in debt, and on the verge of eviction; the next you’re in a fight with a monster and getting a job working for a paranormal detective with the head of a Jack-o-Lantern. It’s an age-old story. 

Now the clumsy but determined Ellie (who’s recently discovered she has strong psychic powers) and her pumpkin-headed boss Ichabod have to team up and fight the things that go bump in the night.

Ellie and Ichabod have some supernatural solves under their belts and Ellie has her psychic powers more (or less) under control. All they’re up against now are cryptic witches, sinister demons, and some ancient monsters hellbent on escaping their psychic prison. What could possibly go wrong?”

REVIEW:

This volume of Third Shift Society delves into Season 2 of the web comic in which we find Ellie getting more used to her powers. Ichabod is being really  secretive about stuff I suspect Ellie should probably know, especially now that we are beginning to understand the motivations of our demon friends and how they pose a major danger to sensitives like Ellie. The will they won’t they pull is a constant tug of war and I never thought some pumpkin headed guy in a suit would be so very alluring. Can’t wait to see where this story goes!

Thanks to Netgalley and Webtoon for the advanced copy in exchange for this review.

Categories
Horror Romance

If I Stopped Haunting You

By Colby Wilkens

Rating: 3*s. Horromance

Now Available from St. Martin’s Press!

Publisher’s Synopsis:

“It’s been months since horror author Penelope Skinner threw a book at Neil Storm. But he was so infuriating, with his sparkling green eyes and his bestselling horror novels that claimed to break Native stereotypes. And now she’s a publishing pariah and hasn’t been able to write a word since. So when her friend invites her on a too-good-to-be-true writers retreat in a supposedly haunted Scottish castle, she seizes the opportunity. Of course, some things really are too good to be true.

Neil wants nothing less than to be trapped in a castle with the frustratingly adorable woman who threw a book at him. She drew blood! Worse still, she unleashed a serious case of self-doubt! Neil is terrified to write another bestselling “book without a soul,” as Pen called it. All Neil wants is to find inspiration, while completely avoiding her.

But as the retreat begins, Pen and Neil are stunned to find themselves trapped in a real-life ghost story. Even more horrifying, they’re stuck together and a truly shocking (extremely hot) almost-kiss has left them rethunking their feelings, and… maybe they shouldn’t have been enemies at all? But if they can’t stop the ghosts pursuing them, they may never have the chance to find out.”

REVIEW

This book really surprised me. I was expecting a Scooby Doo style horror/Romcom, but that was not the case. The horror in this contemporary romance is borderline The Haunting of Hill House. I love a good rivals to lovers trope and I really enjoy horror on its own. This had a mixture of both with a plentiful scoop of American indigenous representation, but set in Scotland.  All topics were important, but I admit I experienced a lot of whiplash trying to figure out what my brain should be on at any given point. Admittedly, it gave me some anxiety unrelated to the horror aspect. 

It was still a decent horror novel and somewhat decent romance. It felt like way more of a horror than a romance, but again–I dig horror. There is a place for social justice in both categories, but with all combined? It just felt like a lot at times.

Don’t get me wrong, I still enjoyed it. There were moments that were really spicy and moments that were really scary, and moments that where real talk left an impression.

It’s definitely one for the book club and would be perfect for a group to read and discuss.

Thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for the free advanced copy in exchange for this review.

Categories
Horror Mystery Survival

People to Follow

By Olivia Worley, Pub date 10/31/2023

4*s. Best enjoyed when you need a good murder mystery.

Publisher’s Synopsis:

“A reality show on a remote Caribbean island. Ten teen influencers. One dead body.

Welcome to “In Real Life,” the hot new reality show that forces social media’s reigning kings and queens to unplug for three weeks and “go live” without any filters. IRL is supposed to be the opportunity of a lifetime, watched closely by legions of loyal followers. But for these rising stars–including Elody, an Instagram model with an impulsive streak; Kira, a child star turned fitness influencer; Logan, a disgraced TikTok celeb with a secret; and Max, a YouTuber famous for exposés on his fellow creators–it’s about to turn into a nightmare.

When the production crew fails to show up and one of their own meets a violent end, these nine little influencers find themselves stranded with a dead body and no way to reach the outside world. When they start receiving messages from a mysterious Sponsor threatening to expose their darkest secrets, they realize that they’ve been lured into a deadly game…and one of them might be pulling the strings.

With the body count rising and cameras tracking their every move, the creators must figure out who is trying to get them canceled–like, literally–before their #1 follower strikes again.“

Review:

It’s not often I come across a YA thriller that catches me a little off guard. I didn’t expect this to take the twist it did, but I was happy to be on the ride! In the last two years there have been a lot of influencer survival horror novels, the kind with what basically amount to the MCs being more antihero than hero. I’m a sucker for survival thrillers where isolation or the elements are involved and modern technology is out of reach. I’ve actually devoured three influencer-specific titles like People to Follow within the last six months alone. 

All that to say, this is a genre I’m really loving right now and People to Follow was no exception! It takes a lot for an author to hide the twist from me. I usually suspect it early on, but Worley got me off my game with this one. 

It has the same general premise as most of its counterparts like The Island or Never Coming Home, except the plot for this is brings in a new element entirely: a reality show where influencers with huge followings unplug for the camera. It has all the elements you would expect with a reality show—people finding themselves on an isolated island with their peers, some of which are decidedly not their friends—with no outside contact with the world. Makes for great TV, right? Except…something here is a little off. 

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When a storm delays the film crew, leaving the influencers or “creators” stranded by themselves on the island, that’s bad enough. Then one of the least liked people on the island is found dead the next morning. They discover that not only have all ways off of the island been sabotaged, but someone is watching them through the cameras…and they want to play a game. 

Packed with dark secrets and pretty corpses, this one is bound to be the perfect thriller for those who love drama, fear, and big reveals you didn’t see coming.

Thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for the advanced ecopy in exchange for this fair and honest review. 

Categories
Horror

There’s No Way I’d Die First

by Lisa Springer, Pub Date 9/5/23

3*s. Best enjoyed with a fork and knife with which to eat the rich.

Publisher’s Synopsis:

“A spine-tingling contemporary horror novel that follows a scary-movie buff as she hosts an elaborate Halloween bash but soon finds the festivities upended when she and her guests are forced to test their survival skills in a deadly game, from debut author Lisa Springer.

Seventeen-year-old Noelle Layne knows horror. Every trope, every warning sign, every survival tactic. She even leads a successful movie club dedicated to the genre. Who better to throw the ultimate, most exclusive Halloween party on all of Long Island?

With some of the top influencers in her school on the guest list, including gorgeous singer-songwriter Archer Mitchell, her popularity is bound to spike. She could really use the social boost for an upcoming brand expansion. Nothing is going to ruin this party.

Except…maybe the low budget It clown she hired for a stirring round of tag. He axes one of her classmates. From the looks of his devilish grin and bag full of killer tricks, he’s just getting started.

A murderous clown is out for blood, but Noelle has been waiting her entire life to prove that she’s a Final Girl.”

Review:

This was a good YA Horror, I will give you that, but probably not for all the reasons that most people would think. I thought the story was great and the horror was fun. Fun? What a strange way to talk about a book where a serial killer dressed like Pennywise from Wish picked off teenagers one by one.

It was honestly the characters. I found most of them minimally likeable. Even the main character at times, but it was because she barely seemed to actually care about the people she called friends, and honestly, it seemed like it was mutual. It was kind of hard to root for a bunch of shallow, morally gray people with little character dealing with their rich kid struggles. It was just difficult to really understand them. There were definitely moments when I was like “oh good, the killer is there. I have no feelings either way, let’s see how this plays out.”

Again, the MC I could understand at times. There are absolutely societal expectations that her family reached above and racism is absolutely a horrible thing that completely in all echilons of society. However, there were times when it seemed less like she was in a fight for her life and more like she was in a fight she had always wanted to be in just so she could prove that she was able to do something, even though all her supposed friends are dying in truly horrific ways around her. 

Trust me when I say, the author truly had some twisted visions for how one would end the lives of some somewhat insufferable people. The writing was great and maybe the above was kind of the point? If so, I give the author major props for this well written book that felt like I was hate watching a reality TV show. I’m not sure if that was goal here, but if it was I can’t help but give some shiny stars for the effort. It was a weird thing for me to enjoy but God help me, I did. 

Thanks to Netgalley and Random House Children’s for the advanced copy in exchange for this review. 

Categories
Children's Books Graphic Novels Horror

All the Lovely Bad Ones: Graphic Novel

Based on the novel by Mary Downing Hahn. Pub Date 8/15/23

4*s. Best enjoyed when you need a ghost story with an innocent, triumph-over-evil feeling.

Publisher’s Synopsis:

“Travis and his sister, Corey, can’t resist a good trick. When they learn that their grandmother’s quiet Vermont inn, where they’re spending the summer, has a history of ghost sightings, they decide to do a little “haunting” of their own. Before long, their supernatural pranks have tourists flocking to the inn, and business booms.

But Travis and Corey soon find out that theirs aren’t the only ghosts at Fox Hill Inn. Their thoughtless games have awakened something dangerous, something that should have stayed asleep. Can these siblings lay to rest the restless spirits they’ve disturbed?“

Review:

This really was such an awesome story. The illustrations were colorful and the story was eerie yet still cute in some way. I hadn’t read this book prior to now so this was my first exposure to it. I loved how the spirits were depicted and also how much growth the kids and adults both experienced throughout.

I think this is the perfect kid’s graphic novel for spooky season and I highly recommend it!

Thanks to Netgalley and HarperCollins Children’s for the advanced copy in exchange for a fair review.

Categories
Adventure Graphic Novels Horror

Hide: The Graphic Novel

By Kiersten White, adapted by Scott Peterson

Illustrated by Veronica & Andy Fish, Pub date 9/12/23

4*s. Best enjoyed when you need a technicolor nightmare scape.

Publisher’s Synopsis:

“What would you do for $50,000? For Mack, the prize money would be life changing. She knows her time at the women’s shelter is already up. And she’s good at hiding. At least this time, her life doesn’t depend on it–or so she thinks.

The challenge is simple. All fourteen competitors must spend seven days hiding in an abandoned amusement park from dawn to dusk. There’s only one rule: Don’t get caught.

But as the people around her begin disappearing one by one, Mack realizes this competition is more dangerous than she’d imagined, and that together might be the only way to survive.”

Review:

This graphic novel was adapted from White’s book Hide. Although I had heard pretty good things and had it on my TBR, when I saw this graphic novel of the book I jumped at the chance to read it.

The illustrations in the book are delightful with a classic gritty comic book vibe and some seriously vivd colors that render the story in a neon colored hell scape.

The story itself is very good. It’s obviously not a regular game of hide and seek, but when people end up murdered by something and strange occult-y books and renderings are found throughout the abandoned amusement park that makes up the setting, it’s very clear that something more than just a weird child’s game with a huge prize at the end.

The overall lore was well thought out, the plot and pace was great for a graphic novel, and there was very little left to question at the end. Often with books turned graphic, there’s something lost in translation in the story. Although I didn’t read the original, I felt very satisfied with where this book went and the loose ends were minimal if not nil by the end.

Thanks to Netgalley, White, and Ten Speed Press for the advanced copy in exchange for this honest review!

Categories
Horror Mystery Survival

Hemlock Island

by Kelley Armstrong. Pub Date 9/12/23

4.5*s. Best enjoyed when you need a delicious survival horror thriller–which should be ALWAYS!

Publisher’s Synopsis

“Laney Kilpatrick has been renting her vacation home to strangers. The invasion of privacy gives her panic attacks, but it’s the only way she can keep her beloved Hemlock Island, the only thing she owns after a pandemic-fueled divorce. But broken belongings and campfires that nearly burn down the house have escalated to bloody bones, hex circles, and now, terrified renters who’ve fled after finding blood and nail marks all over the guest room closet, as though someone tried to claw their way out…and failed.

When Laney shows up to investigate with her teenaged niece in tow, she discovers that her ex, Kit, has also been informed and is there with Jayla, his sister and her former best friend. Then Sadie, another old high school friend, charters over with her brother, who’s now a cop.

There are tensions and secrets, whispers in the woods, and before long, the discovery of a hand poking up from the earth. Then the body that goes with it… But by that time, someone has taken off with their one and only means off the island, and they’re trapped with someone—or something—that doesn’t want them leaving the island alive.”

REVIEW:

Set on an island in Lake Superior, Hemlock Island is a supernatural thriller that throws together murder mystery, greed, betrayal, revenge, and the occult into a delicious and perfectly baked hotdish perfect for anyone who loves a good horror novel. It felt very much in the same vein as Riley Sager and Grady Hendrix’s novels – big fan! Strained relationships and betrayal star alongside severed arms, hex circles, and bone windchimes, creating an atmospheric survival horror that really makes you wonder if they’re ever going to get off of that island. 

Being from the Duluth area, Lake Superior has always been prominently featured in my life and memories. It made it that much easier to imagine a secluded island with a single isolated house surrounded by the cold waters of the largest of the Great Lakes, and to know exactly how cold that water can be. The smells and atmosphere are honestly unmatched, and I would love to read more stories that feature the setting. 

The twists and turns in this story were great. The mystery kept me turning page after page, absorbing each gory and mysterious detail. The mystery was kept largely mysterious, the gore was properly gory, and the is-it-or-is-it-not-a-murderer was like a constant pull. It felt like I was in a macabre Edgar Allen Poe story of a girl who is slowly pulling a bucket out of a dark well, overtaken by some force with an unknowable name that has existed since time immemorial. The conclusion was also extremely satisfying, with equal parts “that checks” and “holy shit” which you don’t always get with stories like this. I’m not going to say I found it fair, but life rarely is and the perfection of horror like this is that it is tied up, even if the bow isn’t the prettiest. The satisfaction is that it’s there, fair, and was a bloody good time.

Overall, Hemlock Island is a great read and Kelley Armstrong is an author you need to have on your watch list if you don’t already. I was a fan of her YA back in the day, but I’m so ready for more adult horror!

Thank you to Netgalley, the author, and St. Martin’s Press for this advanced copy in exchange for this review. I really loved it and can’t wait to see what Armstrong has for us next!

Categories
Horror Survival

The Last Witness

by Claire McFall. 3*s

Best enjoyed on the beach. *smirk*

Publisher’s Synopsis:

“Heather agrees to go camping with Dougie and his friends because she’s desperate to get closer to him, and a secluded beach sounds like the perfect place. But the trip takes a sinister turn that brings Heather’s plans to a violent end.

One by one, the group begins to vanish.

A year later, Heather knows she’s just lucky to be alive. And now, people are asking for answers, or else she will be the one to take the blame. But the truth about what happened on that trip is far more terrifying than anyone knows…”

Review:

This book had so many twists and turns. It jumps between present day and the past to the events that landed Heather in a mental hospital. It’s a thrill ride of supernatural proportions, with twist after interesting twist. Heather is lucky she’s alive…but not for the reasons we’re lead to think.

It starts simple enough—Heather and her friends plan a camping trip to a remote Scotland beach. She’s super hyped because her friend Dougie, who is also her crush, will be there with them. But so will her best friend’s meat head boyfriend. Things quickly go awry when they find out the meathead brought alcohol and something isn’t exactly right at the beach. When Dougie and Heather stumble across an ancient cairn and an interesting broach from inside, it seems to trigger something that no one is prepared for. 

One by one, their friends begin to disappear. At first, it seems like their friend just hitched a ride out, tired of Vince’s meat-headed shit. But then the car stops working, and another of their friends vanishes, and members of their party suddenly start getting sick. Shadows seem to move of their own accord and each new disaster causes further paranoia. 

Something is happening. The question is, is it supernatural, or is it human? Is it brought on by the strange tales regarding the beach they are on of pagan worship and blood sacrifice, or is it just the flickers of the fire and quiet isolation of the country that is making them see all that the most macabre things that their imaginations can muster? Or could it be that Dougie and Heather, in taking the broach from the cairn, have set in motion events that are beyond their control?

Heather, now imprisoned in a mental hospital awaiting trial, is one of the last remaining members of the group and the only one who knows the events that occurred on that weekend months ago that is able to talk about it. The other member of their party has been in the hospital in a coma, and is the only person who could save her from begin convicted of the murder of their friends. 

As the truth is slowly revealed layer by layer,  and the events of the past collide inevitably with the present, we find that the rotten core of it is something far darker and more malicious than we could have imagined. 

The twist at the end of this was pretty good. I did enjoy The Last Witness and thought it was a pretty good story. I did not see the ending coming and it made me enjoy it that much more!