drakaina16's Reviews (2.21k)

Believe it or not, this is my first Robert McCammon book. I'm not sure why it took me so long to pick up one of his books, but I'm very glad I did. I could easily have spent another 400 pages learning about the Ushers and their backstory. The book was fascinating, with great characters that felt real. 4.25 stars

I burnt myself out on the zombie genre quite a while back, and it takes a lot to really get my attention with a zompoc novel now. That being said, this book was good. It's well-written and has some clever dry humor. In no way does it add anything new to the genre, but it's a fun quick read. 3 stars 

Thank you to BookSirens for providing a review copy. 

I had an absolute blast with Discount Dan. The LitRPG format works so well with the Backrooms horror format. All I had to read in the blurb was Backrooms, and I was already in. I wasn't sure what to expect, but this book is literally like reading a horror Dungeons and Dragons campaign. It's also very clever, funny, and unsettling as hell. I'm so pleased this is book 1 of a series - I'm absolutely going to read the rest. 5 stars 

Thank you to NetGalley for providing a review copy. 

This is a very solid collection. I enjoyed every one of the stories, sometimes quite a lot. They are all very well-written and unique. I especially enjoyed Within a Withering Eye, and would love to read more from that world. 4.25 stars

Golden Lazarus ⭐⭐⭐.5
Bitter Petals ⭐⭐⭐⭐.25
Shallow Be Thy Name ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Red Moon Over the Red River Station ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Insatiable ⭐⭐⭐.5
Within a Withering Eye ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Death, and a Donut ⭐⭐⭐⭐.5
Waiting Room ⭐⭐⭐⭐.25
Lost in Ephemera ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Death of Creativity ⭐⭐⭐⭐.25

Thank you to BookSirens for providing a review copy.

This is a fun little slasher homage that I read in two sittings. It's well-written, and I thought the inclusion of the police reports was a nice touch. I did feel like things wrapped up a little too quickly in the end, which I didn't love. I still had a great time with the book, though. 3.75 stars

Thank you to the author for providing a review copy. 

Katherine Silva is a must-read for me now. Her books are so, so good. Undead Folk hit me where it hurts, but I am hesitant to give too much away, so I'll not say more than that. This is dystopian folk horror at its best, steeped in grief and revenge. My heart aches for Ella and I loved Amos as well. 4.5 stars

Thank you to NetGalley and Aethon Books for providing a review copy. 

I had an absolute blast with this book. The world-building is so good, so well thought out, and so unique. I really dig the combination of horror and urban fantasy. The characters are fully realized, with interesting back stories and I came to care about them a great deal. I'm pleased that The Atrocity Engine is part of a planned trilogy - I definitely plan on reading the rest. 4.75 stars

Thank you to BookSirens for providing a review copy. 

The premise of this book sounded so interesting, and it got off to a really great start. Epidemiology is always something I enjoy reading about, especially combined with a horror novel. I thought the book got bogged down somewhat in the middle and kind of limped along to the ending (which was much less thrilling than anticipated). It's definitely an interesting take on a "virus" book. 3 stars 

Bored to tears

Thank you to the author for providing a review copy. 

As short as this novel is, it is fairly slow and the real action doesn't kick off until the last 10%. Up until then, it's more of a slice of life novel involving a gay man with AIDS who moves home to live in a homophobic small town. Truly, this was the most disturbing part of the book for me. I felt so sad for the main character. Ultimately, I enjoyed the book but felt it ended a bit abruptly and took awhile to get going. I loved the writing too. 3.5 stars