drakaina16's Reviews (2.21k)

Thank you to DarkLit Press for providing a review copy. 

This slim novella packs quite a punch. It asks the question, what would you do to save a loved one? I loved the progression of the story and the ending is quite a gut-punch. This was my first Mike Salt book and I'm looking forward to reading the rest of the Linkville series. 

Thank you to the author for providing a review copy. 
This was my first Daemon Manx book, and it was a great introduction. After reading this collection of dark tale, I'm definitely interested in reading more. Mr. Manx has lived a very interesting life and the stories his real life were almost better than the fictional stories. 

The Boy in the Center of the Road ⭐⭐⭐.5
Recalculating ⭐⭐⭐.75
5:56 PM ⭐⭐⭐
The Devil's Well ⭐⭐⭐.5
Ronald Reagan and the Oh Jesus Chord ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Something in the Air ⭐⭐⭐⭐
The Overbook ⭐⭐⭐.75
Devlin's Manse ⭐⭐.5
The Dead Girl ⭐⭐⭐⭐.5
Manx-iety ⭐⭐⭐⭐.5
Witness ⭐⭐⭐
The Party ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
The Wheel Turns ⭐⭐⭐⭐.25
The Widower ⭐⭐⭐⭐
The Last Waltz ⭐⭐⭐.5

This was a great book! I love the mashup of police procedural and the supernatural. The book is a retelling of the Pied Piper with an exceptionally sinister bent. The collision of modern-day Chicago and ancient fairy tale was very well done. I must admit I could see what was up quite early, but that didn't affect my enjoyment of the book. Instead, it contributed to the buildup of dread. 4.25 stars

Thank you to Wicked House Publishing and NetGalley for providing a review copy. 
This book was SO GOOD. The story had be hooked right from the start. The witty dialogue and lush descriptions put me in mind of books by T. Kingfisher (whom I love). The thing that struck me the most about this book was how devastatingly accurate the depictions of living with a chronic pain condition are. Those scenes rang painfully true, and I appreciated the sensitive handling of that topic. 

Thank you to the author for providing a review copy. 
For fans of: animal revenge, Poultrygeist
This book takes a ridiculous premise and makes it really serious. It's also fun (and funny) too. It's fun in a B-movie schlock kind of way, but that also does the book a disservice because it is very well-written. 3.5 stars, rounded up. 

Thank you to BookSirens for providing a review copy. 
I hesitate to call this novella horror. There are definitely some gothic and eco-horror overtones, but the main themes seem to be grief and healing. The writing is stunningly beautiful and wonderfully descriptive. Some passages I read over and over again to make sure I properly appreciated them. 

Thank you to BookSirens for providing a review copy. 
I had a ton of fun with this short novella. Max Booth III never disappoints and The Last Haunt is no exception. The story unfolds through interviews with the people involved in the McKinley Manor Massacre. It is very obviously based on a real extreme haunt and that made it all the more interesting to me. 4.5 stars, rounded up. 

Thank you to BookSirens for providing a review copy. 

This slim volume is very reminiscent of Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark. However, this book deals with more modern problems such as video games, messaging apps, and virtual reality. The tales are short and told in a folksy manner. The real standout is the art, which is also Stephen Gammel-ish while being completely unique. I enjoyed the art more than the tales, but there are some good ones. 

Thank you to Mutated Media and NetGalley for providing a review copy. 

For fans of: grief horror, Neverwhere, gorgeous prose
This book is the embodiment of love as self-harm. The breakup that leaves you wrecked, the emptiness the ending leaves behind. My only experience with Brian Asman was Man, Fuck This House, which I greatly enjoyed. I had no idea he could write such beautiful, gut-wrenching prose. This is grief horror at its finest and one of the best books I've read this year. Strong 5 stars