drakaina16's Reviews (2.21k)

Thank you to NetGalley for providing a review copy. 
Oh, this book. I devoured it. The blurb makes it sound like this will be a dark Fantasy, possibly some magical realism, a journey into an unknown place. But that does it a disservice, because if that's what you're expecting, you'll be disappointed. Eye of a Little God is one long fever dream, slightly rotten, oh so sweet. Seriously, the book was so very sweet for a book about loneliness, aloneness, obsession. It was beautiful and I loved it. Strong 5 stars. 

Wow, what a whirlwind this book was! The religious zealotry was so disturbing. I'm not saying a scenario exactly like what happened in the book could actually happen, but... Religious fanatics unleashing an apocalyptic virus doesn't sound so far-fetched nowadays and that's deeply unsettling. 4.5 stars, rounded up.

This novella missed the mark for me. The writing is solid, but I felt the big reveal took too long and never paid off. The book ends too abruptly. It's a cool concept and well-written, but definitely could have been executed better. 

Ben Farthing is quickly becoming one of my favorite authors. I read Circus Tent earlier in the year and really enjoyed it. This book ratchets the uneasiness, the tension, of that book up to 10. I've never been afraid of puppets, but I am definitely side-eyeing them now. The writing is so good, too. Farthing's ability to set a scene and creep the hell out of you in so few pages is incredible. Strong 5 stars. 

Thank you to Wicked House Publishing and NetGalley for providing a review copy. 

For fans of: medical experimentation, Frankenstein
This is a slow burn of a novel with a lot going on. There's grave robbing, medical experiments, journalism, and even a dual timeline. The book was slow going, but it did keep me entertained. Never Dead would be a good choice for any medical prompts on book challenges this year. 

Thank you to the author for providing a review copy. 
Cursed had quite a few genuinely creepy moments in it. It's a short and brutal novella, with an ending that twists the knife some more. If books can be said to have jump scare moments, this one definitely has a couple. This is quite an impressive debut that I read in a single sitting. 

YA horror these days is doing some really heavy lifting. It isn't afraid to go there and bringing up some very heavy topics. The Getaway just blew me away. It is one of the most disturbing books I've read this year - maybe ever. The topics of race and class and privilege are so stark here, presented in a way that seemed entirely realistic. Now I'm off to read every Lamar Giles book I can get my hands on. 

Thank you to BookSirens for providing a review copy. 
It takes a lot to get my attention in the zombie genre nowadays. This novella certainly grabbed my attention and I'm so glad it lived up to my expectations. The story of a man living with HIV in the middle of the zombie apocalypse, Quenton's search for the medication that keeps him alive definitely rachets up the stakes and the tension in the book. It's a great story, well-told, with a couple of chilling and different additions to the usual zombie mythos. Strong 5 stars

Thank you to BookSirens for providing a review copy. 
This anthology really surprised me. I only recognized a couple of the author's names, but I love a good themed anthology. An anthology about late night workplaces really appealed to me and I'm glad I picked it up. The quality of the writing here is excellent and I found a few new authors to check out. 

Not Working by Russ Bickerstaff ⭐⭐⭐
Factor Fifty by Tom Brennan ⭐⭐⭐.75
The Last Sunday by Patrick Tumblety ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Night Customers by Zachary Rosenberg ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Whispers in the Dark by Bailee Smith-Garcia ⭐⭐⭐
Drained by Megan Kiekel Anderson ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Stripped Down by Rik Hoskin ⭐⭐⭐
Always Hiring by Lydia Bugg ⭐⭐⭐⭐.5
Closing Shift by Elena Greer ⭐⭐⭐⭐
King Corn by Nathan Crowder ⭐⭐⭐⭐.25
The Clown and the Chalupa by Steve Loiaconi ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Ed's Worm Hole by Laura Garrison ⭐⭐⭐⭐.5
Cherry Boy by Danger Slater ⭐⭐⭐⭐.5
Meaningless Flesh by J.A.W. McCarthy ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 
The Clover Café by Amanda Cecelia Lang ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Open All Night by L.S. Johnson ⭐⭐⭐⭐.25
Closing Time by Shannon Germain ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Thank you to DarkLit Press and NetGalley for providing a review copy. 
This book takes a terrifying concept (the ocean) and somehow makes it even more scary. It's so atmospheric and creepy. I went into it semi-blind and it ended up being so much more than I thought. I look forward to reading more from the author. 4.25 stars