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Closing Costs by Wesley Southard is a tale with a wonderfully exciting beginning that suddenly banks a hard left into insanity and terror!
When this story begins, we meet Hershel Merkley, a man who wants nothing more but to sell a mansion to his client in order to make enough money off of the commission to go on a vacation with his wife.
When he's on location and talking to the potential buyers, everything is going really well! But then Hershel is put into a very tricky position... and it's only going to get worse from there.
When this book arrived on my doorstep, I jumped into the read rather blind. This is one that I would highly recommend you do the same! I could not predict what was going to happen next!
My favorite element of this tale was definitely the sudden twist into absolute insanity! I loved that the earlier chapters hinted here and there at a few things and then when a certain scene hits, everything becomes clear to the reader.
My second favorite element was the characters! For such a short novel, there was some wonderful character development, some of which was completed in very interesting ways! I immediately felt a bit protective of Hershel when we started to get to know his character, and wanted nothing but the best for him.
My second favorite element was the characters! For such a short novel, there was some wonderful character development, some of which was completed in very interesting ways! I immediately felt a bit protective of Hershel when we started to get to know his character, and wanted nothing but the best for him.
One more element that I really loved was the pacing and organization of the chapters. There were many shorter chapters at the beginning that gave us little glimpses into different aspects of our characters stories that were going to be very important later on.
While this tale was certainly twisted, I had so much fun reading it!
My Favorite Passage:
He had never hugged a client, but he wanted to lift Evgeni Sokolov off the Italian marble floor and spin the tiny man like a prom date.
My Final Thoughts:
This is definitely a book you'll want to pick up when you have an hour or so to dedicated your time to it as you will not want to put it down! While this is a quick tale, it really packs a dark and twisted punch!
I highly recommend it to fans of horror with some gore and a splash of sexy scenes!
When this story begins, we meet Hershel Merkley, a man who wants nothing more but to sell a mansion to his client in order to make enough money off of the commission to go on a vacation with his wife.
When he's on location and talking to the potential buyers, everything is going really well! But then Hershel is put into a very tricky position... and it's only going to get worse from there.
When this book arrived on my doorstep, I jumped into the read rather blind. This is one that I would highly recommend you do the same! I could not predict what was going to happen next!
My favorite element of this tale was definitely the sudden twist into absolute insanity! I loved that the earlier chapters hinted here and there at a few things and then when a certain scene hits, everything becomes clear to the reader.
My second favorite element was the characters! For such a short novel, there was some wonderful character development, some of which was completed in very interesting ways! I immediately felt a bit protective of Hershel when we started to get to know his character, and wanted nothing but the best for him.
My second favorite element was the characters! For such a short novel, there was some wonderful character development, some of which was completed in very interesting ways! I immediately felt a bit protective of Hershel when we started to get to know his character, and wanted nothing but the best for him.
One more element that I really loved was the pacing and organization of the chapters. There were many shorter chapters at the beginning that gave us little glimpses into different aspects of our characters stories that were going to be very important later on.
While this tale was certainly twisted, I had so much fun reading it!
My Favorite Passage:
He had never hugged a client, but he wanted to lift Evgeni Sokolov off the Italian marble floor and spin the tiny man like a prom date.
My Final Thoughts:
This is definitely a book you'll want to pick up when you have an hour or so to dedicated your time to it as you will not want to put it down! While this is a quick tale, it really packs a dark and twisted punch!
I highly recommend it to fans of horror with some gore and a splash of sexy scenes!
The Texas Chainsaw Breakfast Club or I Don’t Like Mondays by Bracken MacLeod is a tale that while short, it’s a non-stop rollercoaster ride that has loops of confusion and sudden drops of terror.
When I first saw the title of this short story when looking up Mr MacLeod’s work while I was watching along Corona Con, I wrote it down immediately. I could not wait to snag a copy! I mean, what a title!
I’m SO glad that I snagged this one. I read it immediately after purchasing the ebook.
The tale begins with snippets of dreams or nightmares that two individuals are having; one a mixture of scenes from everyday life that blend together, and one of an epic quest that isn’t going exactly as they had hoped.
But our third character, she’s not dreaming; she’s awake and there’s something very wrong. She’s chained to the floor of a basement along with two others, while one dead person is hanging from a hook…
How did they get into that situation? Who has locked them up? And will they escape?
That… you will have to find out for yourself!
My Favorite Passage
Fading into the shadows was worthless if you couldn’t keep yourself from screaming.
My Final Thoughts
I loved each and every second of this read! It was so suspenseful and so wonderfully written. I need to get my hands on more of this authors work ASAP!
If you enjoy tales that give you a bit of a Saw #1 vibe, but a bit less brutal, you’re going to love this! I highly recommend checking it out!
When I first saw the title of this short story when looking up Mr MacLeod’s work while I was watching along Corona Con, I wrote it down immediately. I could not wait to snag a copy! I mean, what a title!
I’m SO glad that I snagged this one. I read it immediately after purchasing the ebook.
The tale begins with snippets of dreams or nightmares that two individuals are having; one a mixture of scenes from everyday life that blend together, and one of an epic quest that isn’t going exactly as they had hoped.
But our third character, she’s not dreaming; she’s awake and there’s something very wrong. She’s chained to the floor of a basement along with two others, while one dead person is hanging from a hook…
How did they get into that situation? Who has locked them up? And will they escape?
That… you will have to find out for yourself!
My Favorite Passage
Fading into the shadows was worthless if you couldn’t keep yourself from screaming.
My Final Thoughts
I loved each and every second of this read! It was so suspenseful and so wonderfully written. I need to get my hands on more of this authors work ASAP!
If you enjoy tales that give you a bit of a Saw #1 vibe, but a bit less brutal, you’re going to love this! I highly recommend checking it out!
The Horror Collection: Emerald Edition is the seventh book in the Horror Collection Series, and what a fun collection this one was!
If you haven’t checked this series out yet, and you enjoy horror of any type, I highly recommend that you add this to your TBR right away!
Full disclosure: I was given a free copy of this book by the author in exchange for an honest review. This did not affect my rating in any way.
Per usual, here are my quick reactions and rating breakdowns for each story:
The House in the Ground by Christian Laforet – 5/5
Starting the collection off with quite a bang! I love a great chase scene in the middle of a storm! I also love stories about abandoned, or seemingly abandoned, houses! Especially those types of houses in strange places! The description on this one was wonderful! And man, oh, man… when I got my first inkling as to what may be going on here I got chills. And that ending!!
“The interior of the house was like a well-decorated nightmare.”
Satan’s Apocalypse by Kevin J. Kennedy -5/5
Yes! What an apocalyptic tale! I really felt for this main character and felt so bad that he was forced to grow up quickly and turn so cold, but I was also proud of him for doing what he had to do to survive.
Just as I had thought, good people have no place anymore. When the civilized world ended, it left only room for animals.
In A Pale, Rainy Morning by Ramsey Campbell and Nicola Lombardi – 4/5
This one was so unsettling! I loved that you didn’t really know what was going on until almost the end of the tale. Even so, you’re still left looking for answers when there are none to be had.
Haunting at Stump Lake by Mark Allan Gunnells – 5/5
A tale about a paranormal investigation group checking out a lake?! Yes please! What a wonderful and heartbreaking tale. I absolutely loved this one.
The air was warm but not overly hot, the sky a pure crystalline blue with only a few clouds like gobs of whipped cream floating by. The water sparkled in the sunlight, looking almost like a undulating field of diamonds.
Road Rage Revenge by Veronica Smith – 4/5
Oh I hate drivers like this so very much. I, very darkly, loved seeing what became of this guy.
Tendrils by Steve Stred – 4/5
This poor family! Ugh. The scene with the rats was so creepy!
As he fell asleep, the shadows under the bed pulled themselves back against the wall.
Radiator Demon-Bitches of Hell by Zoltán Komor – 3/5
What an odd one with a fun twist of the typical Hell setting!
My Final Thoughts
Clearly this one was another home run for me! I had so much fun reading this as I loved each of the unsettling tales! Yet again, there are tales for everyone in here from pure horror to simply odd horror, to even the heartwarming spooky tale.
I highly recommend checking this one out!
If you haven’t checked this series out yet, and you enjoy horror of any type, I highly recommend that you add this to your TBR right away!
Full disclosure: I was given a free copy of this book by the author in exchange for an honest review. This did not affect my rating in any way.
Per usual, here are my quick reactions and rating breakdowns for each story:
The House in the Ground by Christian Laforet – 5/5
Starting the collection off with quite a bang! I love a great chase scene in the middle of a storm! I also love stories about abandoned, or seemingly abandoned, houses! Especially those types of houses in strange places! The description on this one was wonderful! And man, oh, man… when I got my first inkling as to what may be going on here I got chills. And that ending!!
“The interior of the house was like a well-decorated nightmare.”
Satan’s Apocalypse by Kevin J. Kennedy -5/5
Yes! What an apocalyptic tale! I really felt for this main character and felt so bad that he was forced to grow up quickly and turn so cold, but I was also proud of him for doing what he had to do to survive.
Just as I had thought, good people have no place anymore. When the civilized world ended, it left only room for animals.
In A Pale, Rainy Morning by Ramsey Campbell and Nicola Lombardi – 4/5
This one was so unsettling! I loved that you didn’t really know what was going on until almost the end of the tale. Even so, you’re still left looking for answers when there are none to be had.
Haunting at Stump Lake by Mark Allan Gunnells – 5/5
A tale about a paranormal investigation group checking out a lake?! Yes please! What a wonderful and heartbreaking tale. I absolutely loved this one.
The air was warm but not overly hot, the sky a pure crystalline blue with only a few clouds like gobs of whipped cream floating by. The water sparkled in the sunlight, looking almost like a undulating field of diamonds.
Road Rage Revenge by Veronica Smith – 4/5
Oh I hate drivers like this so very much. I, very darkly, loved seeing what became of this guy.
Tendrils by Steve Stred – 4/5
This poor family! Ugh. The scene with the rats was so creepy!
As he fell asleep, the shadows under the bed pulled themselves back against the wall.
Radiator Demon-Bitches of Hell by Zoltán Komor – 3/5
What an odd one with a fun twist of the typical Hell setting!
My Final Thoughts
Clearly this one was another home run for me! I had so much fun reading this as I loved each of the unsettling tales! Yet again, there are tales for everyone in here from pure horror to simply odd horror, to even the heartwarming spooky tale.
I highly recommend checking this one out!
The Switch House by Tim Meyer is a tale that will keep you on your toes as you try to figure out what’s going on within the walls of this house. There is a hole that shows scenes from nightmares, there is a heavy sense of dread, and there is a horrible weight resting on the shoulders of the couple after the day that everything changed…
This is a book that you really just need to dive into! So per usual, I’ll keep my review light with just two of my favorite elements about this story.
First of all, the thought of switching houses absolutely terrifies me. I mean, I absolutely love the film The Holiday, but now that I own a house of my own, there’s absolutely no way I would ever let someone into my home to stay like that. Of course, that was just a side element of this story.
I also loved that the story was told in a way that made you question whether the narrator herself was an unreliable character that was driving the story, or if there was something bigger going on that was being controlled by the people around her without her knowing… It really made me question everything I thought may have been going on!
AND BONUS! There were three short stories at the end of this book. Here are my quick thoughts on each-
How To Kill A Bear With A Bow And Arrow – 5/5
When a bear arrives on a neighborhood street, this man takes up his bow and arrow and waits for it to sniff out his bait… just wonderful! I loved the inner battle of beast vs monster that lead up to that ending!!
Siren’s End – 5/5
Yes, I love a dark siren tale!! I also really loved this line: “Tea. Yes, lots of tea. The phantom aroma of a hot cup filled his nostrils and that alone was enough to keep him warm for the time being.”
Aperture – 4/5
Spooky! I loved the idea behind this one with the film that causes real world things to occur.
My Favorite Passage
Invisible hands wring her heart. She can almost hear her essential organ breaking in her chest.
My Final Thoughts
While a short novel, this is one that I got totally caught up in! I couldn’t wait to see what happened next. Phew. What a trip!
This tale was so wonderfully written! It was my first read from Tim Meyer and I definitely can’t wait to read more!
This is a book that you really just need to dive into! So per usual, I’ll keep my review light with just two of my favorite elements about this story.
First of all, the thought of switching houses absolutely terrifies me. I mean, I absolutely love the film The Holiday, but now that I own a house of my own, there’s absolutely no way I would ever let someone into my home to stay like that. Of course, that was just a side element of this story.
I also loved that the story was told in a way that made you question whether the narrator herself was an unreliable character that was driving the story, or if there was something bigger going on that was being controlled by the people around her without her knowing… It really made me question everything I thought may have been going on!
AND BONUS! There were three short stories at the end of this book. Here are my quick thoughts on each-
How To Kill A Bear With A Bow And Arrow – 5/5
When a bear arrives on a neighborhood street, this man takes up his bow and arrow and waits for it to sniff out his bait… just wonderful! I loved the inner battle of beast vs monster that lead up to that ending!!
Siren’s End – 5/5
Yes, I love a dark siren tale!! I also really loved this line: “Tea. Yes, lots of tea. The phantom aroma of a hot cup filled his nostrils and that alone was enough to keep him warm for the time being.”
Aperture – 4/5
Spooky! I loved the idea behind this one with the film that causes real world things to occur.
My Favorite Passage
Invisible hands wring her heart. She can almost hear her essential organ breaking in her chest.
My Final Thoughts
While a short novel, this is one that I got totally caught up in! I couldn’t wait to see what happened next. Phew. What a trip!
This tale was so wonderfully written! It was my first read from Tim Meyer and I definitely can’t wait to read more!
Killer Chronicles by Somer Canon is a tale that begins with a prologue about a very troublesome situation that will make your stomach churn. But it’s not long before we get a glimpse at a being that has been disturbed, and is now out looking for a meal.
Centered around two horrendous murders and a beautiful pond that is home to that being who really enjoys Nummy Nellie Stripey Cakes… We see everything play out from the perspective of a website writer that is determined to get to the bottom of what is going on.
Pick this one up on a day off! Once I started reading I couldn’t stop!
Trigger warnings for mention of Pedophelia and sexual assault.
When we jump into the first chapter, we meet two friends from college (Christina and Anais) that have created a website called the Killer Chronicles. This website serves as a database of those that commit horrible acts. When a case arises just a six hour drive from them, one of the girls, Christina, heads out to get the scoop.
When she arrives in town, she meets with the original reporter that gives her a hard time at first, but then ends up giving Christina her source’s information. When Christina meets with that source, she is a bit dismayed to find that he is very attractive. As Christina tries to keep her head clear in order to do her work, she also finds that a little something extra on the side can’t hurt… or can it?
Christina is off on a path that she could have never predicted, in more ways than one. But just how far is she willing to stick it out in order to get her story?
My goodness. When this story first began, I was so pumped to learn more about their website! I’m definitely a fan of anything True Crime, so that drew me in immediately. I loved learning how these two were aware of how their website could be misconstrued, and how they wanted to keep it informational while also having empathy for the victims.
I was immediately drawn to the main character. I loved how quirky she was and how she was open about her anxiety right from the start in a way that totally normalized it rather than making it a big deal.
I also loved that the author grappled with the good and evil within people, and how sometimes that line is a bit blurred.
Like I said at the start, once I started reading this one, I was hooked! The writing flowed so wonderfully. The pacing as well as the sense of suspense and dread were perfect. I loved the characters so much and I needed to see what was going to happen next!
But that ending… I didn’t see that coming! This is an ending that I was hoping was going to go in another direction. I have to admit, it really made me mad that it didn’t turn our as I had hoped, but I LOVED it! What an ending!
My Favorite Passages
People are quick to blame something other than human wrath and madness on some of the horrors they themselves created.
Predictability is an anxious person’s favorite teddy bear.
If it didn’t storm every now and then, how could you really appreciate a sunny day?
My Final Thoughts
This was such a fun read! The characters were what really drove the story for me as I wanted to see everything turn out okay for all of them. But don’t let the term “fun” confuse you. This was also a dark, brutal, and bizarre read with a sprinkle of sex here and there. It certainly didn’t hold back any punches when describing the crime scenes or violence!
I highly recommend checking this one out! While it was my first read from Somer Canon, I think it was a wonderful place to start and I will definitely be checking out more of her work very soon!
Centered around two horrendous murders and a beautiful pond that is home to that being who really enjoys Nummy Nellie Stripey Cakes… We see everything play out from the perspective of a website writer that is determined to get to the bottom of what is going on.
Pick this one up on a day off! Once I started reading I couldn’t stop!
Trigger warnings for mention of Pedophelia and sexual assault.
When we jump into the first chapter, we meet two friends from college (Christina and Anais) that have created a website called the Killer Chronicles. This website serves as a database of those that commit horrible acts. When a case arises just a six hour drive from them, one of the girls, Christina, heads out to get the scoop.
When she arrives in town, she meets with the original reporter that gives her a hard time at first, but then ends up giving Christina her source’s information. When Christina meets with that source, she is a bit dismayed to find that he is very attractive. As Christina tries to keep her head clear in order to do her work, she also finds that a little something extra on the side can’t hurt… or can it?
Christina is off on a path that she could have never predicted, in more ways than one. But just how far is she willing to stick it out in order to get her story?
My goodness. When this story first began, I was so pumped to learn more about their website! I’m definitely a fan of anything True Crime, so that drew me in immediately. I loved learning how these two were aware of how their website could be misconstrued, and how they wanted to keep it informational while also having empathy for the victims.
I was immediately drawn to the main character. I loved how quirky she was and how she was open about her anxiety right from the start in a way that totally normalized it rather than making it a big deal.
I also loved that the author grappled with the good and evil within people, and how sometimes that line is a bit blurred.
Like I said at the start, once I started reading this one, I was hooked! The writing flowed so wonderfully. The pacing as well as the sense of suspense and dread were perfect. I loved the characters so much and I needed to see what was going to happen next!
But that ending… I didn’t see that coming! This is an ending that I was hoping was going to go in another direction. I have to admit, it really made me mad that it didn’t turn our as I had hoped, but I LOVED it! What an ending!
My Favorite Passages
People are quick to blame something other than human wrath and madness on some of the horrors they themselves created.
Predictability is an anxious person’s favorite teddy bear.
If it didn’t storm every now and then, how could you really appreciate a sunny day?
My Final Thoughts
This was such a fun read! The characters were what really drove the story for me as I wanted to see everything turn out okay for all of them. But don’t let the term “fun” confuse you. This was also a dark, brutal, and bizarre read with a sprinkle of sex here and there. It certainly didn’t hold back any punches when describing the crime scenes or violence!
I highly recommend checking this one out! While it was my first read from Somer Canon, I think it was a wonderful place to start and I will definitely be checking out more of her work very soon!
The Perfectly Fine House by Stephen Kozeniewski & Wile E. Young is a wonderfully heartwarming (but also heartbreaking) tale about an alternate reality where the breathing and the ghosts live together in society.
Right from the very first page, I was hooked! This is another I highly recommend you pick up on a day off!
I had previously read and really enjoyed Skinwrapper by Stephen Kozeniewski, and while I hadn’t yet read anything from Wile E. Young, I could not wait to dive into this one based on the first paragraph of the premise. I mean…
In an alternate reality where ghosts are as commonplace as the weather, the most terrifying thing imaginable is a house not being haunted.
I was sold!
Very early on in this book, my husband asked me what I thought so far, and I shouted “I LOVE IT!” I’m so glad to say that my feeling didn’t change the further that I got into the book.
I was so excited to learn more about their world and how they lived together. I thought that whole premise was so interesting, and I loved all of the smaller elements that the two authors added in to really develop this world! (I’ll let you discover those fun bits for yourself though!)
I adored the main characters, Donna and Kyle, so much. I very quickly found myself feeling quite protective of them, especially with all of their quirks and struggles.
I also related a bit to one of the main characters, Donna, who was a major workaholic. Far too often, I let myself totally burn out because I have so much on my plate. Like Donna, I need to make more time for relaxing and doing the things that I enjoy!
The pacing was wonderful. I was hooked the entire time. When I had to put the book down briefly to do things around the house, I found myself rushing so I could get back to reading as soon as possible!
This is one of those books that I have such a hard time reviewing because I just want to gush about it, but I don’t want to spoil anything! So I will leave off here.
My Favorite Passage
I wrote down others, but they have spoilers in them! Instead, I will share just this one:
Kyle flashed a nonchalant grin as Donna gave him a look that would’ve made a corpse shiver.
My Final Thoughts
An amazing premise, a perfectly paced and thought-out plot, wonderful world-building and character development… This book was a slam dunk for me!
I absolutely cannot wait to read more from these two authors!
I highly recommend this book to you if you like lighter horror that is more heartwarming than anything else, with a heartbreaking and scary element that drives the plot.
Right from the very first page, I was hooked! This is another I highly recommend you pick up on a day off!
I had previously read and really enjoyed Skinwrapper by Stephen Kozeniewski, and while I hadn’t yet read anything from Wile E. Young, I could not wait to dive into this one based on the first paragraph of the premise. I mean…
In an alternate reality where ghosts are as commonplace as the weather, the most terrifying thing imaginable is a house not being haunted.
I was sold!
Very early on in this book, my husband asked me what I thought so far, and I shouted “I LOVE IT!” I’m so glad to say that my feeling didn’t change the further that I got into the book.
I was so excited to learn more about their world and how they lived together. I thought that whole premise was so interesting, and I loved all of the smaller elements that the two authors added in to really develop this world! (I’ll let you discover those fun bits for yourself though!)
I adored the main characters, Donna and Kyle, so much. I very quickly found myself feeling quite protective of them, especially with all of their quirks and struggles.
I also related a bit to one of the main characters, Donna, who was a major workaholic. Far too often, I let myself totally burn out because I have so much on my plate. Like Donna, I need to make more time for relaxing and doing the things that I enjoy!
The pacing was wonderful. I was hooked the entire time. When I had to put the book down briefly to do things around the house, I found myself rushing so I could get back to reading as soon as possible!
This is one of those books that I have such a hard time reviewing because I just want to gush about it, but I don’t want to spoil anything! So I will leave off here.
My Favorite Passage
I wrote down others, but they have spoilers in them! Instead, I will share just this one:
Kyle flashed a nonchalant grin as Donna gave him a look that would’ve made a corpse shiver.
My Final Thoughts
An amazing premise, a perfectly paced and thought-out plot, wonderful world-building and character development… This book was a slam dunk for me!
I absolutely cannot wait to read more from these two authors!
I highly recommend this book to you if you like lighter horror that is more heartwarming than anything else, with a heartbreaking and scary element that drives the plot.
Scratches is an amazing debut novella from Joshua Marsella! For a short tale of just 67 pages, it sure gives the reader a one-two punch; one with spooky jump scares, and another with stomach-dropping terror.
This novella was organized so perfectly. Each chapter was written in a way that perfected finished that scene, but also made you really antsy to read more! I loved how each chapter built and built until a certain event… and from there it was all out intensity!
This is another one to pick up when you have an hour or so to just read it cover to cover; you will not want to put it down!
I absolutely loved the main character! While struggling with a mother that was a bit emotionally distant and who had suddenly developed a drinking problem, he was still able to stay strong. I also loved his curiosity as he worked to figure out two mysteries!
While he mainly kept to himself, he was able to lose himself in his favorite horror stories! I was so excited to see that he had posters of Pet Sematary, Hellraiser, and Friday the 13th on his walls and that he stayed up late to watch Are You Afraid Of The Dark? and read Creepshow comics!
The mother was also an interesting character. It was really difficult to see her struggling, but once you learned more about her history, it certainly all made sense.
As this tale had wonderful plot, great writing style, plenty of horror, and amazing characters… I cannot recommend this one highly enough! Go snag it today!!
My Favorite Passages
Warm beer was her least favorite kind, but she wouldn’t let a drop go to waste.
A couple hours later Connor was on a deep sleep before he was abruptly awakened by an ear-piercing scratching noise coming from somewhere in the darkness beyond the tattered sheets.
Horror movies and dark cellars are a perfect recipe for the heebie jeebies.
Some truths are better left a mystery.
A familiar sense of terror she hadn’t felt since she was a small girl hit her like the front end of a buick.
My Final Thoughts
I absolutely loved that this story seemed so innocent at first. But then we started to get these quick little spurts of sudden terror that were perfect jump scares! Soon enough, the tale spiraled into a tale that won’t let you put it down!
I can’t believe this was a debut novel! I’ll definitely be here for whatever Joshua writes next!
This novella was organized so perfectly. Each chapter was written in a way that perfected finished that scene, but also made you really antsy to read more! I loved how each chapter built and built until a certain event… and from there it was all out intensity!
This is another one to pick up when you have an hour or so to just read it cover to cover; you will not want to put it down!
I absolutely loved the main character! While struggling with a mother that was a bit emotionally distant and who had suddenly developed a drinking problem, he was still able to stay strong. I also loved his curiosity as he worked to figure out two mysteries!
While he mainly kept to himself, he was able to lose himself in his favorite horror stories! I was so excited to see that he had posters of Pet Sematary, Hellraiser, and Friday the 13th on his walls and that he stayed up late to watch Are You Afraid Of The Dark? and read Creepshow comics!
The mother was also an interesting character. It was really difficult to see her struggling, but once you learned more about her history, it certainly all made sense.
As this tale had wonderful plot, great writing style, plenty of horror, and amazing characters… I cannot recommend this one highly enough! Go snag it today!!
My Favorite Passages
Warm beer was her least favorite kind, but she wouldn’t let a drop go to waste.
A couple hours later Connor was on a deep sleep before he was abruptly awakened by an ear-piercing scratching noise coming from somewhere in the darkness beyond the tattered sheets.
Horror movies and dark cellars are a perfect recipe for the heebie jeebies.
Some truths are better left a mystery.
A familiar sense of terror she hadn’t felt since she was a small girl hit her like the front end of a buick.
My Final Thoughts
I absolutely loved that this story seemed so innocent at first. But then we started to get these quick little spurts of sudden terror that were perfect jump scares! Soon enough, the tale spiraled into a tale that won’t let you put it down!
I can’t believe this was a debut novel! I’ll definitely be here for whatever Joshua writes next!
The Ghoul Archipelago by Stephen Kozeniewski is fun page-turner that will delight you with each turn that the story takes! Of course, as this tale also features zombies, there is some wonderfully vivid violence scattered throughout.
I had so much fun with this one!
This story is a character-driven tale that will have you either rooting for the characters, or wishing that they would meet a sudden demise!
At the beginning of the novel, the chapters were organized in a way that would feature one group of characters at a time before jumping to another group. As each grouping was very intriguing to me, I couldn’t stop reading because I wanted to see how things were going to turn out for each of them! I absolutely loved that we kept jumping from group to group until each storylines began to merge with one another.
While some of the storylines were very different from one another, there was one element that was present throughout: the dead were rising.
It was so much fun to see how each group was handling that fact because they were all extremely different; we had some that were simply killing them, some that wanted to save their souls, and some that wanted to control them and use them for… various things.
The overall pacing was wonderful, the plot was perfectly organized, the characters and their relationships were fun, the dialogue was great! All around, this was an awesome book! It will definitely be one that I return to again when I need a fun zombie tale.
My Favorite Passages
Hannibal Mo’s lower jaw ground back and forth like a cricket’s legs serenading the night.
But he, personally, whether it was superstition or some latent belief in some kind of higher power, believed that it was the height of bad luck to give anyone his name. Rumpelstiltskin had been undone by it, and, personally, he intended to spin a lot keel straw into gold before he died.
For once, he was thankful for his cheap, raggedy boots. Many of the Mariners of the Rey Gould had lost their boots to the pirates. Papi’s hadn’t been worth stealing. He relish that now as he twisted his toes back and forth, sending vertebrae floating to the water surface like a loose piano keys. He would have despised doing that barefoot.
My Final Thoughts
I am a total sucker for zombie tales! And this one? This was such a fun twist on the traditional zombie. I loved the technology element that played a major role throughout, and all of the characters were so wonderful.
I definitely recommend this one to you if you enjoy stories centered around amazing characters, zombies, and interesting technology!
I had so much fun with this one!
This story is a character-driven tale that will have you either rooting for the characters, or wishing that they would meet a sudden demise!
At the beginning of the novel, the chapters were organized in a way that would feature one group of characters at a time before jumping to another group. As each grouping was very intriguing to me, I couldn’t stop reading because I wanted to see how things were going to turn out for each of them! I absolutely loved that we kept jumping from group to group until each storylines began to merge with one another.
While some of the storylines were very different from one another, there was one element that was present throughout: the dead were rising.
It was so much fun to see how each group was handling that fact because they were all extremely different; we had some that were simply killing them, some that wanted to save their souls, and some that wanted to control them and use them for… various things.
The overall pacing was wonderful, the plot was perfectly organized, the characters and their relationships were fun, the dialogue was great! All around, this was an awesome book! It will definitely be one that I return to again when I need a fun zombie tale.
My Favorite Passages
Hannibal Mo’s lower jaw ground back and forth like a cricket’s legs serenading the night.
But he, personally, whether it was superstition or some latent belief in some kind of higher power, believed that it was the height of bad luck to give anyone his name. Rumpelstiltskin had been undone by it, and, personally, he intended to spin a lot keel straw into gold before he died.
For once, he was thankful for his cheap, raggedy boots. Many of the Mariners of the Rey Gould had lost their boots to the pirates. Papi’s hadn’t been worth stealing. He relish that now as he twisted his toes back and forth, sending vertebrae floating to the water surface like a loose piano keys. He would have despised doing that barefoot.
My Final Thoughts
I am a total sucker for zombie tales! And this one? This was such a fun twist on the traditional zombie. I loved the technology element that played a major role throughout, and all of the characters were so wonderful.
I definitely recommend this one to you if you enjoy stories centered around amazing characters, zombies, and interesting technology!
Catfish in the Cradle by Wile E. Young is an eerie tale about creatures, called the Deep Folk, that live deep in the river, and a grandfather that pushes himself to the limit to protect his kin.
Once you start in on this tale, it’s a non-stop trip that will leave you gasping for air like one of the Deep Folk were toying with you!
On the very first page, we meet Grady Pope, an older gentleman still mourning the disappearance of his daughter. He’s sitting at a local diner grabbing a meal, mulling things over. As he travels back home by boating on the river, everything seems rather dreary and bleak.
However, on page three, when Grady approaches his dock, someone is waiting for him. Right away, those dark feelings suddenly shift into a split second of relief before moving into full-blown emergency-mode.
From there, we’re off and running with a tale that absolutely did not let me go!
This is a story that I want to go on and on about because I loved it so much! However, it’s one that I highly recommend you go into as dark as you can in order to best experience it. As such, I will keep the elements of my review below very light!
I was drawn to Grady Pope’s character right away. It was amazing that in just three short pages, I felt like I really knew Grady as if I had read over fifty pages about him! (Wonderful work, Wile!). I loved Grady’s loyalty to both those that shared his blood as well as the people that he knew to be decent people. I also really appreciated his strong will to do whatever he could, even if his body and his strength were tested by the activities.
Grady is certainly a man that I wouldn’t want to cross! While he did show a few instances of blind-anger, I don’t think anyone could blame him for being filled with sudden rage!
Then there were the Deep Folk… My GOSH. What a terrifying type of creature those things were! I really enjoyed learning more about these being slowly over the course of the book. I won’t go into it much here, as this is definitely an element that you need to learn about for yourself while reading! The only other thing that I will say is that, it will likely be a very, very, very long time before I head out to swim on a river…
Amazing characters. Really terrifying creatures from the deep. A massive amount of suspense and dread. A dash of hoodoo. A very atmospheric setting. A plot that was very well organized and perfectly paced. And then toward the end, a ton of striking violence…
If you haven’t guessed so already, this book was a huge hit for me!
My Favorite Passages
It was late afternoon; the sun had settled behind the cypress trees and turn the world into a tapestry of long shadows and islands of fading light.
Little known fact about small towns: there isn’t anything to talk about until something big happens.
Sorrow has a way of discoloring everyday life, especially when the wound is fresh.
That’s the stuff that makes life worth living, when you find that little spot of peace in a busy and tough world.
My Final Thoughts
I could not get enough of this one! The pacing was perfect, but I couldn’t help but try to read as fast as I could to see what was going to play out! More than a few times, I caught myself going too fast and had to force myself to slow it down.
This will definitely be a tale that I will return to time and time again! I just loved the eerie atmosphere, the amazing characters, and the plot that really sunk it’s teeth into me!
I highly recommend Catfish in the Cradle to fans of stories set in a small town that give them a sense of dread throughout before ending with a bang.
Once you start in on this tale, it’s a non-stop trip that will leave you gasping for air like one of the Deep Folk were toying with you!
On the very first page, we meet Grady Pope, an older gentleman still mourning the disappearance of his daughter. He’s sitting at a local diner grabbing a meal, mulling things over. As he travels back home by boating on the river, everything seems rather dreary and bleak.
However, on page three, when Grady approaches his dock, someone is waiting for him. Right away, those dark feelings suddenly shift into a split second of relief before moving into full-blown emergency-mode.
From there, we’re off and running with a tale that absolutely did not let me go!
This is a story that I want to go on and on about because I loved it so much! However, it’s one that I highly recommend you go into as dark as you can in order to best experience it. As such, I will keep the elements of my review below very light!
I was drawn to Grady Pope’s character right away. It was amazing that in just three short pages, I felt like I really knew Grady as if I had read over fifty pages about him! (Wonderful work, Wile!). I loved Grady’s loyalty to both those that shared his blood as well as the people that he knew to be decent people. I also really appreciated his strong will to do whatever he could, even if his body and his strength were tested by the activities.
Grady is certainly a man that I wouldn’t want to cross! While he did show a few instances of blind-anger, I don’t think anyone could blame him for being filled with sudden rage!
Then there were the Deep Folk… My GOSH. What a terrifying type of creature those things were! I really enjoyed learning more about these being slowly over the course of the book. I won’t go into it much here, as this is definitely an element that you need to learn about for yourself while reading! The only other thing that I will say is that, it will likely be a very, very, very long time before I head out to swim on a river…
Amazing characters. Really terrifying creatures from the deep. A massive amount of suspense and dread. A dash of hoodoo. A very atmospheric setting. A plot that was very well organized and perfectly paced. And then toward the end, a ton of striking violence…
If you haven’t guessed so already, this book was a huge hit for me!
My Favorite Passages
It was late afternoon; the sun had settled behind the cypress trees and turn the world into a tapestry of long shadows and islands of fading light.
Little known fact about small towns: there isn’t anything to talk about until something big happens.
Sorrow has a way of discoloring everyday life, especially when the wound is fresh.
That’s the stuff that makes life worth living, when you find that little spot of peace in a busy and tough world.
My Final Thoughts
I could not get enough of this one! The pacing was perfect, but I couldn’t help but try to read as fast as I could to see what was going to play out! More than a few times, I caught myself going too fast and had to force myself to slow it down.
This will definitely be a tale that I will return to time and time again! I just loved the eerie atmosphere, the amazing characters, and the plot that really sunk it’s teeth into me!
I highly recommend Catfish in the Cradle to fans of stories set in a small town that give them a sense of dread throughout before ending with a bang.