Near the Bone, By Christina Henry ~ 3.5 Stars

Tags

Adult Fiction, Horror, Implied Rape, Mystery, Physical & Emotional Abuse, Suspense

Thanks to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Release Date: April 13th, 2021

336 Pages

Synopsis: Mattie can’t remember a time before she and William lived alone on a mountain together. She must never make him upset. But when Mattie discovers the mutilated body of a fox in the woods she realizes they’re not alone after all.

There’s something in the woods that wasn’t there before, something that makes strange cries in the night, something with sharp teeth and claws.

When three strangers appear on the mountaintop looking for a creature in the woods, Mattie knows their presence will anger William. Terrible things happen when William is angry. (Goodreads)

Let me begin by warning that Near the Bone isn’t going to be for everyone. It has some graphic gory scenes, as you would expect from a creature horror tale, but even more disturbing are the instances of physical abuse that Mattie suffers at the hands of William. These could definitely be triggering for some readers, so I wanted to put that front and center. That said, the majority of Near the Bone is a fantastic page-turner, and I found myself surprised at quite a few revelations. The best part is Mattie herself, from her shocking backstory (which once revealed was not at all what I expected), to the enjoyable development of her character from a terrified, traumatized victim, to a young woman who finds her inner strength under unimaginable circumstances. Unfortunately the ending didn’t live up to the rest of the book though. I was hoping for some sort of explanation regarding the monster and where it came from, and why after all the years that Mattie and William had lived on the mountain, it didn’t make an appearance until now, but alas, these questions were left unanswered. There was also something with a family member of Mattie’s which was brought up several times, only to be dropped, which really irked me. And finally, there was something about William that was casually tossed in near the end, that I thought was unnecessary. I’m frustrated, because if it weren’t for these plot holes I probably would have given Near the Bone a higher rating. I would still recommend this for creature horror fans though. It’s an engrossing and quick read and Mattie will capture your heart and have you rooting for her.

Children of Chicago, by Cynthia Pelayo ~ 4.5 Stars

Tags

Adult Fiction, Dark Fantasy, Horror, Mystery, Suspense

Thanks to NetGalley and Agora Publishing for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Release Date: February 9th, 2021

320 Pages

Synopsis: When Detective Lauren Medina sees the calling card at the murder scene in Chicago’s Humboldt Park neighborhood, she knows the Pied Piper has returned. When another teenager is brutally murdered at the same lagoon where her sister’s body was found floating years before, she is certain that the Pied Piper is not just back, he’s looking for payment he’s owed from her. Lauren’s torn between protecting the city she’s sworn to keep safe, and keeping a promise she made long ago to her sister’s murderer. She may have to ruin her life by exposing her secrets and lies to stop the Pied Piper before he collects.

I love fairytale retellings and have read quite a few, but Children of Chicago is the first I’ve come across to take on The Pied Piper of Hamelin. Pelayo not only brings the sinister Piper to life, but also the complex history of the city itself. Even without a terrifying mythological figure manipulating into wishing for their “enemies” to be killed, Chicago has a long association with darkness, so it makes the city the perfect setting for the Piper to take up residence. The Piper here is part fairytale, part urban legend, akin to Candyman and Bloody Mary. Given that this story harkens back to the Middle Ages, Pelayo actually takes this beyond a mere retelling and incorporates into the rich tapestry that makes up Chicago. The main character, Lauren, is someone with many layers, and you don’t discover her entire backstory until the final chapters. She’s a fascinating character, and one that kept me puzzled as to the exact nature of her past relationship with the Piper. The final few chapters contained a few shocking twists that I didn’t see coming, and has left me eager for the sequel. I HIGHLY recommend Children of Chicago to readers who enjoy horror and dark fantasy.

In the Garden of Spite: A Novel of the Black Widow of LaPorte, By Camilla Bruce ~ 5.0 Stars

Tags

Adult Fiction, Fiction Based On a True Story, Historical Fiction, Horror, Psychological Thrillers

Thanks to NetGalley and Berkley for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Release Date: January 19th, 2021

480 Pages

Synopsis: An audacious novel of feminine rage, about one of the most prolific female serial killers in American history—and the men who drove her to it.

They whisper about her in Chicago. Men come to her with their hopes, their dreams—their fortunes. But no one sees them leave. No one sees them at all after they come to call on the Widow of  La Porte. The good people of Indiana may have their suspicions, but if those fools knew what she’d given up, what was taken from her, how she’d suffered, surely they’d understand. Belle Gunness learned a long time ago that a women has to make her own way in this world. That’s all it is. A bloody means to an end. A glorious enterprise meant to raise her from the bleak, colorless drudgery of her childhood to the life she deserves. After all, vermin always survive.

As nighmare-inducing as In the Garden of Spite is, the fact that it’s based on true events, gives it an extra level of horror. Many of you know I’m a fairly quick reader, but once I started reading, it was impossible for me to put this down, and I flew through this in the course of one night!

I hadn’t heard of Brynhild Paulsdatter Størseth, aka Belle, before now, and this book is a mix of fact, embellishments, and fiction. In the beginning I felt sympathy for her and the bleak circumstances of her growing up dirt poor and ultimately the victim of a severe beating which resulted in the loss of her unborn child at the hands of the father, in Norway (this event is rumored to have happened, but is unproven). However, that feeling waned as her victims began to pile up. The story is a slow burn in the beginning, yet I was completely engrossed, wanting to know what turned this woman into such a cold-hearted, prolific serial killer. Alongside Belle’s chapters are her older sister Nellie’s which give further insight into the development of this sociopath.

Normally I’d say almost 500 pages would be too long for a book like this, but Camilla Bruce does such a wonderful job blending fact with fiction in her portrayal of the enigmatic Belle, that I soon lost interest in the page count. The Afterward is a must read as well, as Bruce talks about how she came to write this, as well as what is documented as fact and what fictional elements she added. In the Garden of Spite, is a multi-layered blend of horror, true crime, historical fiction, and psychological thriller that I highly recommend. It’s left me wanting to do more research, which I call a huge success. I unhesitatingly recommend it to readers who enjoy books like Erik Larson’s The Devil in the White City.

Bright Shining World, By Josh Swiller ~ 2.0 Stars

Tags

Coming of Age Stories, Horror, Mystery, Science Fiction, Social Satire, The Environment, YA Fiction

Thanks to NetGalley and Knopf Books For Young Readers for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Release Date: November 24th, 2020

304 Pages

Synopsis: Wallace Cole is perpetually moving against his will. His father has a deeply important job with an energy company that he refuses to explain to Wallace who is, shall we say, suspicious. Not that his father ever listens to him. Just as Wallace is settling into a comfortable life in Kentucky, his father lets him know they need to immediately depart for a new job in a small town in upstate New York which has recently been struck by an outbreak of inexplicable hysterics—an outbreak which is centered at the high school Wallace is to attend.

In the new town things go from disturbing to worse: trees appear to be talking to people; a school bully, the principal, and the town police force take an instant dislike to Wallace; and the student body president is either falling for him or slipping into the enveloping darkness. Bright Shining World is a novel of resistance, of young people finding hope and courage and community in a collapsing world.

You can probably guess from my rating that Bright Shining World was not for me. I wanted to like this, I really did. Mainly because of Wallace, who I loved and is the sole reason why I’m giving this 2 stars. But even this endearingly snarky, clever, courageous misfit couldn’t save a story that to me, just never found its footing. It’s a convoluted mess of coming-of-age, science fiction, a bit of horror, some social satire, and environmental activism. While I’m all for genre-defying tales, this was jumbled and confusing and in the end, made my head hurt. And to make matters worse was that except for Wallace and his mysterious father—who was unlikable but at least somewhat interesting—the other characters were so overwhelmingly stereotypical that I found myself continually rolling my eyes. When I reached the last page all I could think was “Thank God it’s over!” It’s too bad, because Bright Shining World had a lot of potential, especially with such a strong protagonist. 

Secret Santa, By Andrew Schaffer ~ 3.5 Stars

Tags

Adult Fiction, Horror, Mystery

Thanks to NetGalley and Quirk Books for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Release Date: November 10th, 2020

220 Pages

Synopsis: The Office meets Stephen King, dressed up in holiday tinsel, in this fun, festive, and frightening horror-comedy set during the horror publishing boom of the ‘80s, by New York Times best-selling satirist Andrew Schaffer.

Out of work for months, Lussi Meyer is desperate to work anywhere in publishing. Prestige Blackwood-Patterson isn’t the perfect fit, but a bizarre set of circumstances leads to her hire and a firm mandate: Lussi must find the next horror superstar to compete with Stephen King, Anne Rice, and Peter Straub. It’s the ‘80s after all and horror is the hottest genre.

But as soon as she arrives, Lussi finds herself the target of her coworkers’ mean-spirited pranks. The hazing reaches its peak during the company’s annual Secret Santa gift exchange when Lussi receives a demonic-looking object she recognizes but doesn’t understand. Suddenly, her coworkers begin falling victim to a series of horrific accidents akin to a George Romero movie, and Lussi suspects her gift is involved. With the help of her former editor, the flamboyant Fabian Nightingale, Lussi must track down her mysterious Secret Santa and figure out the true meaning of the cursed object in her possession before it destroys the company—and her soul.

Being the horror fan I am, I was quite excited when I read the premise Secret Santa, even though I’m unfamiliar with Andrew Schaffer’s writing. And there were parts of it I really liked: the dark humor, the fiendishly witty homage to 1980s horror, and the skewering of the publishing world in general. The horror aspects were a bit meh, which was a bit of a let down, and as I find so often with novellas, the character development was practically non-existent. The funny thing is, the previous book I reviewed, Teen Killers Club, was under 300 pages, yet had a wonderfully written and memorable cast, so I know it’s possible. But alas, it wasn’t the case here. Still, it was an entertaining way to spend the hour or so it took to read Secret Santa and I’m not sorry I requested it. It’s also made me curious to check out some of Schaffer’s other works, so that’s a plus.

The Haunting of Bly Manor

Tags

Henry James, Horror, Netflix, The Haunting of Bly Manor, The Turn of the Screw

Unsurprisingly, Netflix has all sorts of Halloween treats for the month of October. The Haunting of Bly Manor, though, which drops on October 9th, and is based on the classic horror novella, The Turn of the Screw, by Henry James, is one offering I’m eagerly looking forward to, especially after seeing this trailer.

 

Ink, By Jonathan Maberry ~ 3.5 Stars

Tags

Adult Fiction, Child Rape, Horror, Supernatural, Suspense

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Griffin for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Release Date: November 17th, 2020

464 Pages

Synopsis: From New York Times bestselling author Jonathan Maberry, comes a standalone supernatural thriller Ink, about a memory thief who feeds on the most precious of dreams.

Tattoo artist, Patty Cakes has her dead daughter’s face tattooed on the back of her hand. Day by day it begins to fade, taking with it all of Patty’s memories of her daughter. All she’s left with is the certain knowledge she has forgotten her lost child. The awareness of that loss is tearing her apart.

Monk Addison is a private investigator whose skin is covered with the tattooed faces of murder victims. He is a predator who hunts for killers, and the ghosts of all those dead people haunt his life. Some of those faces have begun to fade too, destroying the very souls of the dead.

All through the town of Pine Deep, people are having their most precious memories stolen. The monster seems to target the lonely, the disenfranchised, the people who need memories to anchor them to this world.

Something is out there. Something cruel and evil is feeding on the memories, erasing them from the hearts and minds of people like Patty and Monk and others.

Ink is the story of a few lonely, damaged people hunting for a memory thief. When all you have are memories, there is no greater horror than forgetting.

Argh! I finished Ink three days ago and I’m still trying to sort out my feelings. This is a follow-up to Maberry’s Pine Deep trilogy which I LOVED, but it can be read as a standalone. Let’s get what I didn’t like out of the way. First, I’m not a prude, but I thought there were way too many sex scenes, and the ones with the villain masturbating while he fed on his victims’ memories were particularly unnecessary and turned my stomach. Also, too many characters and POVs. Really, the only two I wound up caring about were Monk and Patty. And finally, the pace was too drawn out and there wasn’t enough action until the final few chapters. I loved the actual storyline with this psychic vampire feeding on people’s memories through their tattoos. I also really connected with Patty and Monk and their traumatic backstories. This is a spoiler, but I feel it’s necessary, Patty’s little daughter was gang raped and killed, and while this is mainly talked about off scene, I think it could be a possible trigger for some readers. The last few chapters were everything I had hoped the rest of the book would be. So for me, Ink wasn’t bad, but it was a bit of a disappointment. Most reviewers however are loving it, so if you’re intrigued don’t let my review dissuade you from reading it. Although the events in Ink take place years after the ones that occurred in Maberry’s Pine Deep trilogy, I do recommend you read it not only because it’s one of my favorite horror series, but also because there are numerous vague references to the “Trouble,” in this book and there’s no explanation until after the halfway point, which I think could be annoying to some readers not familiar with the previous books.

Misfits, By Hunter Shea ~ 4.5 Stars

Tags

Adult Fiction, Horror, Mystery, Rape, Thriller

 

Thanks to NetGalley and Flame Tree Press for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Release Date: September 8th, 2020

288 Pages

Synopsis: During the height of the 90s grunge era, five high school friends living on the fringe are driven to the breaking point. When one of their friends is brutally raped by a drunk townie they decide to take matters into their own hands. Deep in the woods of Milbury, Connecticut, there lives the legend of the Melon Heads, a race of creatures who shun human interaction and prey on those who dare to wander down Dracula Drive. Maybe this night, one band of misfits can help the other. Or maybe some legends are meant to be feared for a reason.

Dare to walk,

Down Dracula Drive,

In day or night,

You won’t survive.

They wait in trees,

And hide below,

Hungry for people,

Too blind to know.

Misfits is the fourth book I’ve read by Hunter Shea, and just when I thought he couldn’t possibly go darker, he’s proven me wrong. I need to warn you there are two fairly graphic rape scenes, so these might be a trigger for some readers. The first happens near the beginning and is the catalyst for almost everything that happens next. The second takes place near the end and in a rare gender reversal, features one of the male characters as the victim. Neither is gratuitously written in as each serves as an integral part of the story. There is plenty of blood and gore as I’ve come to expect from Shea, but what I love about his writing is the unique and creative twist he always gives his stories. In this case, he sets an urban legend into the early 1990s, and I was instantly sucked in. As usual his characters are complex and easy to connect with, as all of them break with stereotypical teen roles. I know not to expect happily-ever-afters from Shea, but to my surprise, the ending (in a perverse way) here is about as positive as I’ve read from him. Undoubtedly Misfits will please Shea’s many fans, and for those who are new to him but are fans of hardcore horror that also has some depth, he’s an author you should definitely check out.

 

 

Cut Off, By Adrianne Finlay ~ 3.5 Stars

Tags

Horror, LGBTQ, Romance, Science Fiction, Thriller, YA Fiction

Thanks to NetGalley and HMH Books for Young Readers for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Release Date: August 11th, 2020

384 Pages

Synopsis: Warcross meets Lost in this haunting young adult sci-fi thriller in which teens compete to survive in the wilderness for one million dollars on a new virtual reality show. When something goes horribly wrong and the contestants realize no one is coming to save them, they must question their very reality—and how much of the game is really for show.

Each contestant has their own reasons—and their own secrets—for joining the new virtual reality show CUT/OFF that places a group of teenagers alone in the wilderness. It’s a simple premise: whoever lasts the longest without “tapping out” wins a cash prize. Not only that, new software creates a totally unprecedented television experience, allowing viewers to touch, see, and live everything along with the contestants. But what happens when “tapping out” doesn’t work and no one comes to save you? What happens when the whole world seemingly disappears while you’re stranded in the wild. Four teenagers must confront their greatest fears, their deepest secrets, and one another when they discover they are truly cut off from reality. Sci-fi, mystery, and romance converge in this high-stakes, fast-paced read that will leave you guessing to the very last moment.

While I thought Cut Off was a little slow to start, by the halfway point the pace picked up and there were some interesting plot twists which made me glad I stuck with it. There were a couple of issues that prevented this from being a more enjoyable read. The first was the formatting of the eARC. Some of the sentences were out of order, especially during the interviews with the contestants, which made things hard to follow at times. The other problem were the characters who weren’t what I’d call one-dimensional, but I did think they were somewhat formulaic. I did wind up connecting with River (the loner) and Cam (the sassy beauty), but even though I enjoyed Trip (the brash genius), I wanted to know even more about him, and Lexie (the deceiver) never had any of her backstory revealed. Despite this, I did enjoy the overall story and it kept me questioning what was real and what wasn’t. I definitely will be trying the next book that Adrianne Finlay comes out with.

Hollow Ones, by Guillermo del Toro and Chuck Hogan ~ 4.0 Stars

Tags

Adult Fiction, Horror, Mystery, Supernatural Fiction, Suspense

Thanks to NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Release Date: August 4th, 2020

336 Pages

Synopsis: Odessa Hardwicke’s life is derailed when she’s forced to turn her gun on her partner, Walt Leppo, a decorated FBI agent, who turns suddenly, inexplicably violent while apprehending a rampaging murderer. The shooting, justified by self -defense, shakes the young FBI agent to her core. Devastated, Odessa is placed on desk duty pending a full investigation. But what most troubles Odessa isn’t the tragedy itself—it’s the shadowy presence she thought she saw fleeing the deceased agent’s body after his death.

Questioning her future with the FBI and her sanity, Hardwicke accepts a low-level assignment to clear out the belongings of a retired agent in the New York office. What she finds there will put her in the trail of a mysterious figure named John Silence, a man of enormous means, who claims to have been alive for centuries, and is either an unhinged lunatic, or humanity’s best and only hope against unspeakable evil.

The Hollow Ones isn’t quite as good as the authors’ previous joint venture, The Strain Trilogy, but I do think it’s a promising start to this new series. The biggest issue I have is with the character of John Silence. As a fervent fan of The Pendergast Series, by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child, Silence shares far too many similarities to Aloysius Pendergast, the enigmatic FBI agent, including living in the same building and driving the same style of car. Once more of his backstory is revealed, there are some differences, but I still found it off putting, especially in the beginning. Thankfully, I loved the other two main characters, Odessa and Solomon, and enjoyed reading how Silence came into and effected both their lives. I thought the plot itself very imaginative and quite frightening, and it kept me turning the pages. I’m hopeful that as Silence’s backstory is fleshed out even more in subsequent novels, the shared traits between him and Pendergast won’t be as noticeable. I assume from the ending The Hollow Ones is the first book in a planned trilogy or series, so I will definitely be checking out the next book.