The blurb for this one sounds right up my alley! Unfortunately I didn’t know that it was really centered around cheating. As that is a huge trigger for me I had to stop reading. I also found this one to be very repetitive.

If you’re a fan of suburban thrillers filled with paranoia, I recommend this one to you!

The Body by Stephen King is a wonderful tale about the rise and fall of the friendship between a group of boys over the course of one morbid adventure and the aftermath of that event.

If you don’t already know, this tale is about a group of four boys that walk the train tracks to go see a dead body that they heard about. They are determined to find the body and report it to the police and newspaper so they can have their fifteen minutes of fame.

However, things don’t go exactly as planned.

I think that this tale is just so wonderful. While it only covers the course of a few days, it was so interesting to see how much the boys grew up in that short amount time.

During their adventure, the boys were faced with various intense situations including a near-death experience, being chased by a vicious dog, dealing with ignorant adults, getting covered in leeches, passing out/helping a friend that had suddenly passed out, seeing a dead body, and
firing a gun to protect one another.

Each of these situations played a role in boosting the boys emotional maturity. And while it deepened their friendships, it also made it impossible for them to ever be the same…

It was a little sad to see how they all slowly realized that their friendships would never be the same after this. But at least they had one last hurrah!

One of my favorite elements of this book was that Chris was such a good friend for Gordie. The scene while they’re walking and Chris levels with Gordie, telling him to pursue his skills for writing was so wonderful:

“I wish to fuck I was your father!” he said angrily. “You wouldn’t go around talking about taking those stupid shop courses if I was! It’s like God gave you something, all those stories you can make up, and He said: This is what we got for you, kid. Try not to lose it. But kids lose everything unless somebody looks out for them and if your folks are too fucked up to do it then maybe I ought to.”

My Favorite Passages:
We knew exactly who you were and exactly where we were going. It was grand.

The last thought broke the paralysis and I shot to my feet. I probably would have looked like a jack-in-the-box to anyone watching, but to myself I felt like a boy in underwater slow motion, shooting up through five feet of air or rather up through five hundred feet of water, moving slowly, moving with a dreadful languidness as the water parted grudgingly.
But at last I did break the surface.
I screamed: “TRAIN!”

My Final Thoughts:
I cannot believe it took me so long to read this book! Especially because I adore the film based on this book, Stand By Me. Now I need to go re-watch that!

I really enjoyed this book! Some of it is a bit outdated, especially with the language used. But it’s a perfect time capsule that captures the friendship between young boys at that time.

Squirming Disease by Aiden Merchant is a collection of three absolutely terrifying tales that are all connected. At the start, it’s unclear what is going on but it’s not long before you learn more about the symptoms… Eek, I’m getting goosebumps just thinking about it!

Full Disclosure: I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review. This did not affect my rating in any way.

This collection of three storylines was so wonderfully terrifying. The first story is unsettling and has a brutal ending. The next one is even more terrifying and even more brutal!! Then the third story… I didn’t think it could get any more terrifying. I was wrong.

Here are my quick notes about each:

The Squirming
Holy god. This story was terrifying! Every time I get a toothache now, I’m going to think of this story! That poor guy, Adam. And did he infect his girlfriend?!

The Disease
Ah! A story from Kendras perspective. Oh my good lord…. this was absolutely terrifying! What an ending to this one!

The Spread
Just when I didn’t think this collection could get any more terrifying… THAT ENDING!!

I loved every second of this horrific read! I especially love the titles that Mr. Merchant chose for each of the three sections.

In my copy of this book, it also came with a bonus; one flash fiction tale and two short stories. Here are my quick notes about those.

Complete Sacrifice
A piece of flash fiction
Phew!! I love flash fiction that leaves you wanting more but also feeling satisfied with the burst of content that you were given. That was certainly the case here. I’d happily read more about this character so we could see how he had gotten to that point.

Change
A short story
Oh. My. Gosh! This one kept getting more and more intense and interesting! I can’t wait to read more from this storyline!

The Scar Opens
A short story
I loved this one so much! A group of three boys going to search for this lost friend and quickly realizing they should have left that property alone. This one was so creepy!! Another screaming for an adaptation! This one felt like The Body mixed with some really dark Goosebumps-like tales! I loved it!

My Final Thoughts
I loved each and every second of each of the tales!

If you enjoy stories that will make you squirm with discomfort and fear, you gotta pick this one up! Just make sure you get the physical copy to get the bonus stories!

MONSTRE Volume 1 by Duncan Swan is a terrifying tale of desperation and determination.

If you enjoy unputdownable reads filled with storylines that will keep you flipping the pages just as quickly as you can, you gotta pick this one up!

Full Disclosure: I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This did not affect my rating in any way.

The story begins with a character in the middle of a scary situation with a fire burning below him, and it really doesn’t let up from there. Of course, it backtracks to show more of the history so you can see what lead to the character making a mad rush up a stairway… But as you know something bad had happened, the sense of dread is thicker than the smoke from that first scene.

This book follows various storylines that are all interwoven and organized from a starting point from either Day 0 or Day 89.

When I first saw that this was the case, I got a little nervous as I’m not a huge fan of books with multiple perspectives. However in this case, they were all so perfectly developed that I didn’t have a problem keeping up.

This format, combined with the writing style and amazing characters, also made it impossible to put the book down as I just wanted to see how everything turned out for everyone, but you’d have to wait awhile for an update.

The writing was wonderful. From the description of the small details to the explosive action and violence, it was very vivid! The character development had to be pretty quick in quite a few cases, and the author nailed that! I was drawn or interested in all of the characters almost immediately. I also loved that some of the characters we developed in a way that made us slowly learn more about them, so there was a sense of mystery and unease with a few!

There is a cosmic creature element here and I found it to be incredibly eerie. While leaning heavily toward sci-fi, this is something that I can easily see actually happening so that makes it so much more spooky. And then seeing how some people handled the situation? Even more terrifying.

And my god, that ending. I CANNOT wait for Volume Two!

My Favorite Passages
He looked away from his computer screen for a moment to see that the two men were far less impressed, shaking their heads. Then they exploded into a fine pink mist.

There wasn’t a tree or building left standing, no people, nothing but scattered fires and columns of smoke, charred and splintered trees lining the sides of the road. Their shattered trunks glowed white in his flashlight, like jagged teeth, as though the four of them were walking into the mouth of some giant beast.

Claire was the type of person who could put on a brave face like it was makeup.

“I’m Lieutenant Dan,” the soldier said when he didn’t have to scream anymore. “Lieutenant Dan!” said Levi, finding his voice again. He couldn’t help it. “You got new legs!”

People think evil is easy to spot. They think of evil and imagine a monster. They imagine the Devil with horns, something obvious and identifiable.But sometimes evil looks just like the kid next door.

My Final Thoughts
I loved every second of MONSTRE. I could not stop reading! Even though I felt really uneasy throughout the read, I was also totally hooked and blown away by the writing and overall plot. It was so perfectly organized.

I can’t believe this was a debut novel. Sign me up for Volume Two! I cannot wait!!

Thanks for reading!
And thanks again to Sarah Miniaci of SMITH PUBLICITY, INC. for sending a copy my way! I am so grateful!!

Betty by Tiffany McDaniel is a beautifully written and absolutely gut-wrenching story about a family that goes through far more than any family should ever have to. But even through the darkness, the main character, Betty, was still able to be a guiding light for this family.

Full Disclosure: I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review. This did not affect my rating in any way.

For me, this book felt like a never-ending series of gut punches. The number of things that this poor girl dealt with while growing up was so intense. From racism to some very violent acts she witnessed within her family, it’s amazing to me that she was able to still stay positive.

One of the most difficult parts for me was seeing something really dark happen, to be immediately followed by something lighter as Betty tried to get the darkness out of her head. Of course, some of the darkness stuck around, deeply ingrained in her mind and in her stories that she buried. But it was heartbreaking to me that she had to go through a lot of this, let alone that most of it happened when she was so young and didn’t get understand the full extent of what was happening.

Even more heartbreaking was realizing that she actually did understand, and perhaps on a deeper level than anyone could have realized.

So a heads up to anyone who picks this one up, it needs a whole slew of trigger warnings. There are elements of homophobia, incest, suicide, self-harm, murder, rape, child abuse, abortion, child death, a dog death, and more.

But the darkness was only part of it!

There were so many beautiful scenes too. Like Betty offering to help Lint whenever he feels a storm brewing in his mind. Trustin working on his art or painting eyes on Lint’s rocks. Betty and Flossie putting their goodnights in a jar for Fraya. All of the kids working in the garden with their dad. And so much more!

The elements that were shared about the Cherokee culture was absolutely wonderful to read about. This certainly made me want to get back in touch with nature again. The father in the story also really reminded me of my Papa, who believe in plant-based things over western world medicines.

So yes, while there was a lot of darkness, there was also a lot of love, loyalty, and hope! The writing style was absolutely beautiful, and flowed like poetry in some areas.

My Favorite Passages
“Well, a man who beats a woman leaves me with little more than anger. The type of anger I can taste in the back of my throat. And boy is it a bad taste.”

My father’s hands were soil. My mother’s were rain. No wonder they could not hold one another without causing enough mud for two. And yet out of that mud, they built us a house that became a home.

“You’ll need to watch out for those who spread gossip as easily as dandelions spread their seed,” he said. “But really keep an eye on the ones who live on decay, like the fungus that grows on hurt or weak trees.”

“Funny how the night makes everything so spooky,” she said as a gust of wind came and seemed to rattle the ground.

It’d be so much easier if the bad things in our lives were kept in our skin that we could shed off like a snake. Then we could leave all the dried horrid things on the ground and step forward, free from them.

“Don’t let it happen to you, Betty. Don’t ever be afraid to be yourself. You don’t wanna live so long only to realize, you ain’t lived at all.”

My Final Thoughts
At the end of the book, I felt totally exhausted, but I’m so glad that I read this. What a wonderful, but difficult read! I have never read anything like it.

This book will make your blood boil. It will make you want to scream at the unfairness of it all. It will totally get under your skin. But most of all, it will show you how resilient people are when faced with the most impossible things, and it will fill you with hope.

Rating this one a 4/5 as I don’t think I would personally be able to read this again. But I certainly highly recommend this one to all that are able to read it, just mind the trigger warnings.

Starving Ghosts In Every Thread is a stunning debut horror novella by Eric LaRocca. Filled with a deep sense of guilt and various secrets, sprinkled with violence and heartbreak, this tale will keep you on the edge of your seat!

Full Disclosure: I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review. This did not affect my rating in any way.

When I saw the cover of this one, I was immediately intrigued. I mean, how amazing is that cover?! I love the trees and how they fade out toward the top of the cover while the two trees in the foreground and black of the ground really draw the eye to the center where the girl is standing. Then of course the bright red title text that has bits of darkness splattered or blurred onto it gives it even more of an eerie vibe!

Eric and I connected on Twitter and when Eric reached out to ask if I would like a review copy, I was thrilled! I dove into the book just as soon as I had finished up the book I had been reading when this one arrived in the mail.

My goodness. In just the first couple of pages, I was totally hooked! I was so curious to learn more about the main character, Teddy, but I also found myself feeling very protective of her right from the first chapter.

As the story continued, I couldn’t help but feel more and more protective of Teddy. It was clear that she was suffering through the guilt of something as well as the loss of her father, and that the affects of these two strong emotions were holding her back. But not only were these things weighing her down, they were also causing her to have physical reactions.

And what was that physical reaction? Well, Teddy’s Teddy’s skin would randomly begin to unravel from her body, a fact that I was equally horrified and enthralled by.

I loved that this physical element wasn’t fully explained to the reader as it left a wonderfully mysterious element up to us to dwell on long after the book ends.

The situations that Teddy found herself in the middle of in a span of just 89 pages was wicked intense! One particular scene that was set in a basement had me reading as fast as I could to see what would happen next.

This one is going to stick with me for a very long time! It’s definitely one I will be returning to time and time again.

My Favorite Passages
The skin tightens about me so terribly that I wonder if my bones might leap out of my human suit.

The thought abandons me as suddenly as it arrives, her kiss draining my mouth of all words.

Darkness has its fingers about me, dragging me with it. But, the thought does not upset me as I thought it might.

My Final Thoughts
An all around wonderful novella. I cannot wait to see what Eric writes next!

If you’re a fan of light body horror and tales with wonderful characters, then I highly recommend picking this one up when you have time to read it cover to cover. It was spooky and bizarre, and it had intense action scenes, all of which are right up my alley! It also also totally broke me.

Presented as a work of nonfiction, The House on Abigail Lane by Kealan Patrick Burke will definitely have you pausing any time you go up the stairs!

I went into this one totally dark, so when I saw that it was a tale that centered around a house rather than a tale that was character or plot driven, I was a little thrown off simply because I wasn’t expecting that at all!

This was like a historical account of a property and a really creepy tale all woven into one. With each account that the story reveals over the course of the sixty year span, the more terrifying it gets!

In addition to the spookiness, there were a bunch of important topics that were woven into the story in a really wonderful way. These topics included racism, mental health (PTSD and Bi-Polar). While not a huge plot points, the author made his points very clearly and quickly, and the impression of these scenes really stick with the reader.

This is definitely one you’ll want to pick up and read cover to cover because, if you’re like me, you’ll just want answers!

My Favorite Passages
So I ran and I’m not proud of it, but I was scared, and anyone who says that makes me a coward didn’t see a man blink out of existence right in front of them.

Most of them were only aware of Bud Wilson’s disappearance, a tragic event that had left the house an unrentable, unsellable nuisance in an otherwise perfectly put together neighborhood, the one bad tooth and a healthy smile.

The nightmares. Jesus. It’s like someone planted screws inside my head that are slowly worming their way back out.

My Final Thoughts
This was my first read by this author and I already cannot wait to read more soon! This tale flowed so well from start to finish and had me eager to learn more.

I highly recommend checking this one out if you enjoy tales that are a bit mysterious with a pinch of supernatural horror and a dash of real-world horrors.

Crossroads by Laurel Hightower is a gut-wrenching tale about a mother that will do anything to see her son one more time. But just how far will she go?

Phew. Buckle up before starting this book!

Trigger Warnings: death of a child (teen), self harm, and suicide.

When the story begins, we meet Chris, a mother that is still mourning the loss of her son who died in a car accident. One thing leads to another, and Chris has found a way to see her son, or at least something that looks like her son.

With a new schedule and a new outlook on life, Chris starts to open up to her next-door neighbor, who has been holding a torch for her for years.

Things seem to be going well for Chris from the outside looking in, but the wounds that she’s hiding say otherwise…

This tale was absolutely gut-wrenching and brutal. I found myself putting it down and walking away quite a few times as it had me feeling wicked squeamish. But like a magnet, I kept being drawn back to it!

The characters were so wonderful. I loved each of them so much and just wished for their happiness. I mean, poor Chris was totally caught up in her own head. I loved seeing the spurts of happiness that she got. Her ex husband and his family was also lovely. And how refreshing to see a couple that has split but stayed friends?! And of course, what an amazing and patient guy the next-door neighbor, Dan, was! My gosh. From not pushing her even though he was very clearly in love with her, to how he reacted to her injuries when he finally saw them was just incredible. My heart aches for him!

I definitely don’t recommend starting this book if you’re unprepared to be hurt. But, if the trigger warnings aren’t an issue for you, go pick this up ASAP!

My Favorite Passages
She took a breath, knowing how far down the spiral of magical thinking she’d gone, but unable to find a reason to pull out of it. So, she folded her son’s favorite shirt, pressed a final kiss to the fabric, and began to bury it in the hole she’d dug. She tried not to feel like she was burying him again, but somehow, she did.

She turned to lie on her side, the curve of her bare hips lit by a soft lamp. It was a beautiful landscape he never got enough of.

Motherhood had made her face all her fears, let go of her phobias and the things that bugged her, like snot and puke and having anything touching her collar bone. Kids trample all over those little rules and preferences in no time, and they put you in the most terrifying, godawful positions. Being Trey’s mother had been the scariest, most stressful, exhausting, wonderful, and perfect thing she’d ever done.

My Final Thoughts
This was such a difficult but amazing read. It sent me on quite the emotional rollercoaster! From the highs of Chris’s happiness, to the lows of the self harm and sadness, this had it all.

While definitely not for the squeamish, I highly recommend checking this one out!

Tenebris by Aiden Merchant is a brutal short story that will make you want to reach through the pages to give a very good boy a pat!

Full Disclosure: I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review. This did not affect my rating in any way.

Trigger Warning: Rape

Tenebris by Aiden Merchant Book Cover
When we dive into this story, we meet a girl named Amy Gardner that has been kidnapped by someone and held in a room where she is “visited” by various men for sexual favors.

Determined to one day escape, Amy tries to reach out to the dog of her kidnapper. By feeding it bits of food and letting it lick her hands under the door, they start to bond. But how will she escape her captor?

Phew. This read is absolutely heartbreaking and terrifying!

While you learn that the main character has been raped repeatedly, the main rape scene that occurs in this tale isn’t too descriptive. In my opinion, it was written very well and with obvious care, while also not shying away from the brutality of it all.

There’s also a bit that is quite gory! That’s all I will say there to avoid spoiling it.

Through the darkness, there is also a strong element of hope! Right from the first page, you will be rooting for the girl to escape. I love how Amy was able to stay so positive, even faced with everything she was going through.

Deadpool thinks he has everything figured out- he'll bring Typhoid Mary to the Hellhouse and get her working so she can eventually pay him back for busting her out of the mad house. He ends up accidentally kicking her out of a window and as she falls, she remembers what she needs to do- kill Daredevil.

Meanwhile, Weasel is trying to find Deadpool in order to warn him that T-Ray wants to kill him. Weasel ends up using one of Deadpool's teleporting belts to go to Deadpool's home. He meets Ray, who tells him he needs to leave or they're both dead.