Breaking (Burning), by Danielle Rollins ~ 3.0 Stars

Tags

Dysfunctional Relationships, Horror, Mystery, Suicide, Supernatural, Suspense, YA Fiction

Thanks to NetGalley and Bloomsbury USA Childrens for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Release Date: Available Now

352 Pages

Synopsis: Charlotte has always been content in the shadow of her two best friends at the prestigious Underhill Preparatory Institute. Ariel is daring and mysterious. Devon is beautiful and brilliant. Without Charlotte never lived up to the standards of the school–or her demanding mother–her two best friends became the family she never had. When Ariel and Devon suddenly commit suicide within a month of each other, Charlotte refuses to accept it as coincidence. But as the clues point to a dangerous secret at Underhill Prep, Charlotte is suddenly in over her head. There’s a reason the students of Underhill are so exceptional, and the people responsible are willing to kill to protect the truth…

Breaking is the “companion book” to Burning, which means that technically you could read this as a standalone, but I personally think you’ll get more out of it if you read the books in order. 

Breaking has more mystery to it than the previous book, as it opens with the main character, Charlotte, dealing with her two best friend’s suicides only a month apart. She discovers that one of them has left a clue behind, and she determinedly sets out to find out what really happened. None of the characters are very likable. There are flashbacks to when Ari and Devon were still alive, and they both gave off that stereotypical “mean girl” vibe, with Charlotte being the follower. But, there’s a twist near the end of the book which gives a creative twist to this trope which is why I changed my mind about the 2 star rating I was considering giving this. I had mixed feelings about Charlotte. She came across as self-pitying and insecure throughout much of the book, but the more you find out about the relationship she has with her mother, the more understandable this is. And, as the story progressed, she did get stronger. There’s a big build-up to the romance that develops between Charlotte and Jack, but for me, there wasn’t enough chemistry between them.

The plot itself is interesting and kept me guessing for the majority of the story. It’s the last 100 or so pages though, where things get truly exciting and the events from Burning are tied into what’s been happening here. 

Overall, I though Breaking was an okay sequel that could have used more character development. The ending leaves no doubt that there’ll be a third book, and I’m interested in how things will turn out. Because of the darker themes and some brutally graphic scenes, I’d recommend this for older teens who are looking for contemporary fiction with a hint of the supernatural.

Final Girls, by Riley Sager ~ 3.5 Stars

Tags

Adult Fiction, Horror, Mystery, Thriller

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

Release Date: July 11th, 2017

352 Pages

Synopsis: Ten years ago, college student Quincey Carpenter went on vacation with five friends and came back alone, the sole survivor of a horror movie–scale massacre. In an instant, she became a member of a club no one wants to belong to–a group of similar survivors known in the press as the Final Girls. Lisa, who lost nine sorority sisters to a college dropout’s knife; Sam, who went up against the Sack Man during her shift at the Nightlight Inn; and now Quincy, who ran bleeding through the woods to escape Pine Cottage and the man she refers to only as Him. The three girls are all attempting to put their nightmares behind them, and, with that, one another. Despite the media’s attempts, they never meet.

Now, Quincy is doing well–maybe even great, thanks to her Xanax prescription. She has a caring almost-fiance, Jeff; a popular baking blog; a beautiful apartment; and a therapeutic presence in Coop, the police officer who saved her life all those years ago. Her memory won’t even allow her to recall the events of that night; the past is in the past.

That is, until Lisa, the first Final Girl, is found dead in her bathtub, wrists slit, and Sam, the second, appears on Quincy’s doorstep. Blowing through Quincy’s life like a whirlwind, Sam seems intent on making Quincy relive the past, with increasingly dire consequences, all of which makes Quincy question why Sam is really seeking her out. Quincy’s life becomes a race against time as she tries to unravel Sam’s truths from her lies, evade the police and hungry reporters, and most crucially, remember what really happened at Pine Cottage, before what was started ten years ago is finished.

Final Girls has been incredibly hyped since last year, so maybe it was destiny or karma, that it wasn’t going to quite live up to my expectations. That’s not to say I thought it was awful. I just don’t agree with my idol, Stephen King’s assessment that “The first great thriller of 2017 is here!” There are several things I liked about it, but let me get the negatives out of the way first.

Final Girls. We’re all familiar with them thanks to the movies. Who doesn’t recognize the names Laurie Strode/ Halloween; Nancy Thompson/Nightmare On Elm Street; and of course Sidney Prescott/Scream. Here, Riley Sager has given us three new survivors, in Lisa, Sam and Quincy. The main focus is on Quincy, who ten years after her escape from the massacre at Pine Cottage, has supposedly gotten past the horrific events of that night. Her mind has protected her somewhat by blocking out most of what happened. She also has Jeff, her caring boyfriend, and Coop, the police officer who saved her from the killer she calls “Him”. She’s happiest when creating new dishes for her popular baking blog, so life seems good.

And then Lisa, who she’s never met in person, but has communicated by phone and emails, is discovered dead, and Sam, who has been off the grid for the last several years, unexpectedly shows up. Immediately Quincy’s carefully structured life starts to spiral out of control. I was expecting to feel complete and total empathy for Quincy, but to my dismay, I disliked her almost from the very beginning. She is much too gullible and trusting for someone who’s been through what she has. She also takes Jeff, who genuinely cares about her, completely for granted, which really bothered me. I wound up not being able to relate to her at all. Sam is a sketchy and unlikable character, and her and Quincy’s developing relationship is truly toxic. Some of the things they wind up doing to prove they’re survivors just don’t make any sense. There’s too much time spent on their actions and there are parts that are unnecessarily repetitious and inconsistent which makes the story lag, especially in the middle.

The chapters alternate between what’s happening in the present day, and what happened ten years ago at Pine Cottage. The chapters set in the past are the most exciting of the book, especially as more and more of Quincy’s memories begin to return. It’s the last third of the book that had me glued to its pages. There are so many shocking twists that each time I thought I had finally figured everything out I was proven wrong. When the big reveal came, it may not have been completely credible, but it was unexpected and impactful in every way. 

In the end I think Final Girls starts as a fantastic concept, but the story gets a bit muddled along the way. I need to be honest and say I’m definitely in the minority here because most of the reviews on Goodreads are giving it 4-5 stars. Although it wasn’t a perfect read for me I’d still recommend it to fans of horror and slasher films. 

 

Quinsey Wolfe’s Glass Vault, by Candace Robinson ~ 4.5 Stars

Tags

Fantasy, Horror, Mystery, Romance, YA Fiction

Thanks to both Candace Robinson and NetGalley for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Release Date: Today

242 Pages

Synopsis: Some see it…Some don’t…

People in the town of Deer Park, Texas are vanishing. There is a strange museum, known as Quinsey Wolfe’s Glass Vault, that appears overnight. Perrie Madeline’s best friend and ex-boyfriend are among the missing. Perrie, along with her friend August go on a pursuit to search for them in the mysterious museum. Could the elusive Quinsey Wolfe’s Glass Vault have anything to do with their disappearances?

And another fellow blogger makes her mark! If you haven’t checked out Candace’s blog at https://literarydust.wordpress.com please do. You won’t be disappointed! As for Quinsey Wolfe’s Glass Vault it’s a quite a promising debut. The plot is very imaginative and unique. It begins in an ordinary enough way with Perrie dealing with family and romance issues and worrying about college. She’s someone readers can instantly relate to. She can be unforgiving and obstinate, but overall she’s a compassionate and caring person, even when it comes to Neven, her ex-boyfriend who she believes cheated on her. One of my favorite parts of the book is the relationship between Perrie and her quirky cousin Maisie. The girls are inseparable, so when both Maisie and Neven go missing, naturally Perrie is not going to sit back without jumping into the investigation herself. On her dangerous journey she brings her new love interest August. Once they set foot in the sinister museum of the mysterious Quinsey Wolfe, things get crazy very quickly. While the glass exhibits are beautiful, there’s also something deeply disturbing about them, which unfortunately Perrie and August soon discover. I’m not going to go into further details because you really need to read this for yourself. My only two complaints are that I thought some of the scenes were a little too rushed, which I think is the result of the book being too short, and there were some instances where there was more telling rather than showing. Otherwise, I thought this was an absolutely brilliant debut that’s unlike any other YA horror/fantasy that I’ve read. I highly, HIGHLY recommend this for older teens and adults who enjoy this genre and are looking for something different. Seriously guys. You need to read this! It. Is. That. Good! And look at the pretty cover. Doesn’t it just call out to you? The ending is a humdinger of a cliffhanger, so I can’t wait for the second book in this duology which I’m hoping will be a little longer!

Skitter (The Hatching #2), by Ezekiel Boone ~ 4.0 Stars

Tags

Adult Fiction, Horror, Spiders

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

Release Date: Available Now

352 Pages

Synopsis: Tens of millions of people around the world are dead. Half of China is a nuclear wasteland. Mysterious flesh-eating spiders are marching through Los Angeles, Oslo, Delhi, Rio de Janeiro, and countless other cities. According to scientist Melanie Gruyer, however, the spider situation seems to be looking up. Yet in Japan, a giant, truck-sized, glowing egg sack gives a shocking preview of what is to come, even as survivors in Los Angeles panic and break the quarantine zone. Out in the desert, survivalists Gordo and Shotgun are trying to invent a spider super weapon, but it’s not clear if it’s too late, because President Stephanie Pilgrim has been forced to enact the plan of last resort: The Spanish Protocol. America, you are on your own.

They’re baaack! Those creepy eight-legged critters from The Hatching have returned to cause even more monstrous mayhem in this thoroughly enjoyable sequel. Once again the somewhat large cast of characters makes it difficult to really get to know them all that well, but some of their individual stories are developed a bit more this time around. Adding to the horror of man-eating spiders, is the way the U.S. government is forced to respond in order to try to contain the threat. In some ways, Skitter is definitely a filler book. While the plot advances from the first book, except for the Spanish Protocol and discovering what the spiders’ endgame might be, it mostly goes back and forth between countries and characters. The ending is a huge cliffhanger which perfectly sets things up for the final book. Will the spiders prevail and jump to the top of the food chain, or will human ingenuity win in the end? If you’re a horror fan and love movies like Arachnophobia and Eight Legged Freaks, I highly recommend The Hatching and Skitter. While there are plenty of scenes that will make you squirm, there’s also instances of sly humor. I’m eagerly looking forward to seeing how the Author wraps everything up in the final book. 

Snow ~ By Howard Odentz – 4.5 Stars

Tags

Adult Fiction, Dark Comedy, Horror

 

Thanks to NetGalley and Bell Bridge Books for providing an ebook in exchange for an honest review.

34 Pages

Synopsis: Words to live by: Never steal from a drunk in the woods.

An epic and sudden blizzard is blanketing Mount Tom Regional High School…in October. A dangerous man is stalking the hallways, and three teens harbor a secret that may get everyone killed if they don’t figure out how to stop the snow and the rampage.

When I impulsively requested Snow on NetGalley, I failed to notice that it was a short story. I don’t read many short stories unless they’re part of an anthology and even then, I’ve had mixed results with them. But much to my surprise I really enjoyed this. While the premise of “teens are in detention when horrible things start happening!” isn’t an entirely new premise, Odentz gives this a surprising and creative twist that I didn’t see coming until a few pages before the end. The first few pages are a bit of an info-dump regarding the three main characters, but this quickly smooths out. The dialogue between them is amusing and I found myself laughing more than once. This is going to be a much shorter review than I normally post because there’s not much more I can say without venturing into spoiler territory. It’s a quick and clever little read that older teen and adult fans of horror mixed with dark comedy should enjoy especially around Christmas. It’s definitely made me want to check out more of Howard Odentz’s works!

Feral ~ By James DeMonaco & B.K. Evenson – 3.0 Stars

Tags

Adult Fiction, Apocalyptic Fiction, Horror

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

Release Date: April 4th, 2017

256 Pages

Synopsis: From James DeMonaco, the writer/director of The Purge film franchise, comes the provocative and terrifying last stand of a lone outpost of women in the wake of a deadly pandemic.

Allie Hilts was still in high school when a fire at a top-secret research facility released an airborne pathogen that quickly spread to every male on the planet, killing most. Allie witnessed every man she ever knew be consumed by fearsome symptoms: scorching fevers and internal bleeding,madness and uncontrollable violence. The world crumbled around her. No man was spared, and the few survivors were irrevocably changed. They became disturbingly strong, aggressive, and ferocious. Feral.

Three years later, Allie has joined a group of hardened survivors in an isolated, walled-in encampment. Outside the guarded walls the ferals roam free, and hunt. Allie has been noticing troubling patterns in the ferals’ movements, and a disturbing number of new faces in the wild. Something catastrophic is brewing on the horizon and time is running out. The ferals are coming, and there is no stopping them.

Fair warning: Feral is not for the faint of heart. Given that one of the authors is James Demonaco writer/director of The Purge films, this shouldn’t come as a complete shock. There were some scenes though that even had me wincing and saying “Ew!” The first part of the book starts out strong as the reader sees how Allie deals with the end of the world as she knows it. Just a teenager, she witnesses the unimaginable and in order to protect herself and her 12-year-old sister Kim, has to do some horrible things in order to survive. As the story flashes forward three years, you see a much more hardened woman. She’s badass, and impulsive, yet still maintains her humanity somehow. Allie is really the best part of the book and she’s the main reason why I kept reading. Unfortunately, I ran into a few other issues. Feral alternates between first and third person POVs as well as between several different characters. While this style didn’t make things confusing, it did make the story rather choppy. I also wish Allie’s relationship with her sister Kim had been more developed. The other characters were unoriginal and also lacking in development and I wound up not connecting with any of them. And finally, while the book started out with a unique twist on the whole “end-of-the-world because idiotic scientists are messing around with something they shouldn’t be” trope, by the middle of the book things had become pretty predictable and I saw the ending coming a mile away. The action scenes though are masterfully done and the the book at under 300 pages is a quick read. Overall, Feral is an okay story that fans of gory horror may enjoy.

The Last Days Of Jack Sparks ~ By Jason Arnopp – 4.5 Stars

Tags

Adult Fiction, Horror, Mystery, Suspense, The Occult

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

Release Date: March 3rd, 2017

336 Pages

Synopsis: Jack Sparks died while writing this book. This is the account of his final days.

In 2014, Jack Sparks–the controversial pop culture journalist–died in mysterious circumstances.

To his fans, Jack was a fearless rebel; to his detractors, he was a talentless hack. Either way, his death came as a shock to everyone.

It was no secret that Jack had been researching the occult for his new book. He’d already triggered a furious Twitter storm by mocking an exorcism he witnessed in rural Italy.

Then there was that video: thirty-six seconds of chilling footage that Jack repeatedly claimed was not of his own making, yet was posted from his own YouTube account.

Nobody knew what happened to Jack in the days that followed–until now. This book, compiled from the files found after his death, reveal the chilling details of Jack’s final hours.

Although I wish it had been a little scarier The Last Days of Jack Sparks is definitely a fun and quirky read. The formatting of the story is in the style of a book that has been published posthumously, by Jack’s brother Alistair, who has gathered together all of his research and rough drafts as well as interviews and recorded conversations with people Jack met while he was attempting his big comeback. There’s really no other way to put this, but Jack is a juvenile, smug, egotistical and arrogant jerk. He makes no effort to hide his skepticism of the supernatural, and it’s this disdain that winds up eventually causing his death. But he’s a fascinating character nonetheless, especially when as you read, his version of events are frequently contradicted by other people, including his brother. And despite his many personality flaws, he has a sarcastic and biting sense of humor that had me reluctantly chuckling at times. As for the question of what actually happened to Jack Sparks, the answer when it came, definitely was a clever surprise. The story itself is original and entertaining, and the ending is positively brilliant! The Last Days of Jack Sparks definitely stands out from other books in this genre and I highly recommend it to fans of light horror. 

The Devil Crept In ~ By Ania Ahlborn – 4.0 Stars

Tags

Adult Fiction, Child Abuse, Horror, Relationships

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

Release Date: February 7th, 2016

384 Pages

Synopsis: Young Jude Brighton has been missing for three days, and while the search for him is in full swing in the small town of Deer Valley, Oregon, the locals are starting to lose hope. They’re well aware that the first forty-eight hours are critical and after that, the odds usually point to a worst-case scenario. And despite Stevie Clark’s youth, he knows that, too; he’s seen the cop shows. He knows what each ticking moment may mean for Jude, his cousin and best friend.

That, and there was that boy, Max Larson…the one from years ago, found dead after also disappearing under mysterious circumstances. And then there were the animals: pets gone missing out of yards. For years, the residents of Deer Valley have murmured about these unsolved crimes…and that a killer may still be lurking around their quiet town. Now fear is reborn–and for Stevie, who is determined to find out what really happened to Jude, the awful truth might be too horrifying to imagine.

I loved Ania Ahlborn’s previous book, Brother, and while I had a few issues with The Devil Crept In, it’s clear that she is an excellent storyteller along the same lines of horror writers like Stephen King. The book is divided into three sections with part one focusing on ten-year-old Stevie Clark’s determination to find his cousin and best friend, Jude. While I’m all for slow-building horror and suspense, I found myself getting a bit impatient with the pacing in the beginning. I felt as though Ahlborn spent a little too much time on the set-up. The second part takes you back in time, detailing a creepy house in the woods and the backstory of Rosie, the woman who lives there. The third part brings both storylines together.  I never once felt disconnected and Ahlborn does a brilliant job at fitting all the pieces together. My biggest issue was that with the exception of a few, the majority of adults in this story are completely one-dimensional and do not come across in a positive light. You’ve got the abusive step-father stereotype, the abused mother who can’t/won’t protect her children, and the judgmental, holier-than-thou townsfolk. There are two characters that don’t fall into these stereotypes. One is Stevie’s teacher, but sadly she only makes a brief appearance. The other is an elderly shop keeper who tries to help Stevie, but he’s maddeningly slow at giving him much needed information. And of course there’s Rosie, who I found utterly exasperating at times, yet still emphasized with the horror her life had become. Ania Ahlborn is also an absolute genius at creating subtle and menacing atmospheres and creepy goosebump-raising storylines. I was completely sucked into the small town of Deer Creek and its hidden horrors and I felt as though I were actually in the story. But the absolute best part of the book is ten-year-old Stevie, whose courage and innocence is what drives the story and his attributes are in direct contrast to the disturbing nature of the narrative and the rest of the characters. His resilience is remarkable given that he’s surrounded by adults, who at best don’t believe the things he insists he’s witnessed, and at worst are verbally and physically abusive. Making things worse is that Stevie suffers from an unnamed disorder(s), which further adds to the suspicion and doubt that people view him with. Yet despite all this, this small child never gives up and I absolutely loved him. The ending is complicated, and there’s some questions I had that weren’t answered, yet for the most part it’s in keeping with the rest of the story. Despite its flaws, I found The Devil Crept In to be a disturbing and emotional read, and one which I have no problem recommending. It’s a solid blend of horror, mystery and suspense and it’s left me excited for Ania Ahlborn’s next venture.

 

 

 

All Darling Children ~ By Katrina Monroe – 3.0 Stars

Tags

Fantasy, Horror, YA Fiction

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

200 Pages

Synopsis: On the anniversary of her mother’s death, fourteen-year-old Madge Darling’s grandmother suffers a heart attack. With the overbearing Grandma Wendy in the hospital, Madge runs away to Chicago, intent on tracking down a woman she believes is actually her mother.

On her way to the Windy City, a boy named Peter Pan lures Madge to Neverland, a magical place where children can remain young forever. While Pan plays puppet master in a twisted game only he understands, Madge discovers the disturbing price of Peter Pan’s eternal youth.

All Darling Children is the latest to retell the classic tale of Barrie’s Peter Pan and while I had some issues with it, I did find it to be one of the more imaginative interpretations I’ve read. Let me get the negatives out of the way first. My first problem is the time period this storyline is set in. The original book is set in the early 1900s. The time this is set in is the late 1990s or early 2000s. That would make Madge’s Grandma Wendy (and yes, she’s the THAT Wendy) well over 100 years old! While she has some health issues, they’re more in line with someone, say in their seventies or eighties. The same problem applies to Madge’s Uncle Michael, who seems more middle-aged. Also, Madge’s missing mother, Jane seems to be Michael’s sister, which really makes no sense. And then there’s John and the question of whatever happened to him. For some odd reason Monroe decided to completely write him out of the story. I was left pretty confused by these inconsistencies. What saves this book though is Madge and Neverland. I loved Madge’s spunk and stubborn determination to find out what really happened to her mother. This spirit also serves her well in dealing with the psychotic Pan. I’m not sure why but in every retelling I’ve read, authors seem to love turning him into a nasty piece of work. Not that I have a problem with that mind you. I never liked Peter Pan (the character), even as a child. And in this story he’s no different. He’s basically a murderous narcissist who is quite capable of committing all sorts of atrocities. The way he treats the Lost Boys is appalling, and his “enemies” even worse. Tiger Lily is featured predominantly and I loved how her character was developed. And of course no Pan retelling is complete without Captain James Hook. While he’s no saint in this, the author shows a different side of him that I quite enjoyed. He has a wry sense of humor that actually had me liking him even though his motives are quite often murky. Neverland itself is wonderfully described with all these sinister undertones to its paradise-like surface. The story is fast-paced and filled with plenty of suspense and tension. Overall, All Darling Children is a flawed yet still fairly decent horror-filled take on the literary classic. I think older teens and adults who enjoyed the original Peter Pan, might find this interesting. 

Little Heaven ~ By Nick Cutter – 2.5 Stars

Tags

Adult Fiction, Horror, Religious Cults

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

Release Date: January 10th, 2016

496 Pages

Synopsis: From electrifying horror author Nick Cutter comes a haunting new novel, reminiscent of Cormac McCarthy’s “Blood Meridian” and Stephen King’s “It”, in which a trio of mismatched mercenaries is hired by a young woman for a deceptively simple task: check in on her nephew, who may have been taken against his will to a remote New Mexico backwoods settlement called Little Heaven. Shortly after they arrive, things begin to turn ominous. Stirrings in the woods and over the treetops–the brooding shape of a monolith known as the Black Rock casts its terrible pall. Paranoia and distrust grips the settlement. The escape routes are gradually cut off as events spiral towards madness. Hell–or the closest thing to it–invades Little Heaven. The remaining occupants are forced to take a stand and fight back, but whatever has cast its dark eye on Little Heaven is now marshaling its powers…and it wants them all.

I really enjoyed both The Troop and The Deep by Nick Cutter, so I was excited when I was approved for an eARC of Little Heaven. While I still think Nick Cutter is a gifted writer, I don’t think his latest is the best example of his talents. The first issue I had was with the main characters. Except for one secondary character, who was a child, I either disliked them or was completely ambivalent toward them. Most of the plot devices used have become ubiquitous in the horror writing genre, and added nothing new. There’s a lot of blood and gore, and while I expect this in a Cutter novel, in this case it seemed like the bloodiest scenes were added in simply for shock value. The book itself is much too long to support the actual storyline, and I found myself skimming through several chapters. Because of this, when the end finally came I was left with more questions than I had in the beginning. I know what I’ve written so far makes it seem like I hated the book, but there were some good parts which I appreciated. The descriptive world-building is excellently done, and while the story goes back and forth between the mid 1960s, and 1980 it was done so seamlessly, and I felt as though I were in the old West at times. It’s been described as a cross between Cormac McCarthy and Stephen King, and while I agree with those comparisons, there’s also some Lovecraftian elements in this. I was really expecting to love Little Heaven, but I have to be honest and admit I’m disappointed. That said, I still recommend Nick Cutter as an author to try if you’re looking for something in the same vein as Stephen King. I just recommend trying his previous books before you tackle this one.