drakaina16's Reviews (2.21k)

Thank you to the author for providing a review copy. 
If you're as sick of reading traditional zombie novels as I am, you definitely need to give this one a try. It's unlike any zombie book I've read before. The author is great at painting a setting for the reader, and this one happens to be the jungles of Vietnam. Local culture and folklore is mixed in and I loved reading about it. The book takes a minute to get going, but once it does, the author is great at keeping the suspense and tension alive in the middle of all the action. 4.25 stars

I loved this twist on snuff films. I recommend going in as blind as possible and checking all your triggers. 

Thank you to the author for providing a review copy. 
This book was everything I hoped it would be. I already knew that Gage Greenwood could write anxiety incredibly well from reading Bunker Dogs. But the way he writes pain and grief in Block Island is exquisite. Anyone who has dealt with grief and PTSD will be able to relate. The book starts out setting the scene and introducing the characters, then quickly snowballs into non-stop action right up to the thrilling conclusion. 

Oh wow, this book was a gut punch. Definitely watch your triggers, as incest and sexual assault on a child are heavily involved. Rarely have I ever read something so beautiful about a topic so dark. The dream imagery is haunting. The prose is so tight and lovely, and this book is so, so sad. 

Thank you to the author for providing a review copy. 
This is a fast-paced, nasty little novella. The villain is truly a nasty one! I do wish some the characters other than Jordan. I almost felt like the book was too short. I enjoyed it quite a bit, especially the ending. 3.25 stars

I very much enjoyed Intercepts. It's very creepy, with a hellish twist on your typical medical experimentation story. The ending was quite something, too. I'll definitely be seeking out the rest of T.J. Payne's books. 4.5 stars, rounded up. 

Thank you to the editor for providing a review copy. 
As a Ghost fan and a short story fan, this collection was right up my alley. It was a mixed bag, as most anthologies are, but overall the quality of the stories was excellent. It also introduced me to some new authors who are now on my radar. 

To Dust You Shall Return by Jo Kaplan ⭐⭐⭐
The Lords Below by Michael Paige ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Father Knows Best by M. Wesley Corie II ⭐⭐⭐.25
The House of Laments by Pedro Iniguez ⭐
A Pale Stranger by Mackenzie Hurlbert ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
A Sun Within the Fog by Colt Skinner ⭐⭐⭐⭐
On Hollow Pass by Michael Balletti ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Ghosted by Everett Baudean ⭐⭐⭐⭐.5
Commendation of the Dying by Lauren Bolger ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Hallowed Ground by David D. West ⭐⭐⭐.5
Hello Darkness by Brian J. Smith ⭐⭐.75
Wrapped by Robert Bagnall ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Her True Calling by Doris V. Sutherland ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Peering Through the Blazing Gates by David Costa ⭐⭐⭐.75
The Goat Priest by Matthew M. Bartlett ⭐⭐⭐⭐.5
Figgy Pudding by Vivian Kasley ⭐⭐⭐
Creation by Benjamin Kane Ethridge ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Thank you to the author for providing a review copy. 
There should be something to please every horror fan in this collection - creature features, space, urban legends, body horror. And a big dose of the evil that men do. I always know when I pick up a D.W. Hitz book that it's going to be top-notch and this collection is no exception. 

Chester's Cave ⭐⭐⭐⭐.25
The Ancestors ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
The Gate ⭐⭐⭐⭐.5
Love is Cold ⭐⭐⭐⭐.25
It Stretches ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Cody Was Here ⭐⭐⭐⭐.5
The Trophy ⭐⭐⭐⭐.25
On the Run ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

I hate all of these people and why is rape treated so casually in this book? Ugh