Oh my... Bonfire by Krysten Ritter was not a book for me.

I don't enjoy pushing through books that I'm not enjoying, but for some reason I pushed through here. I knew right away that the writing style was going to drive me crazy, and it only got worse.

Prepare yourselves, this review is quite negative...

My thoughts:
The only three things I liked about this book were the dust jacket design, the synopsis, and a couple of passages.


Beware, the negatives:
I picked this one up solely because I thought the synopsis sounded incredible. After finishing the book, I still think the synopsis sounds great, but the book certainly didn't live up to it.

Going into the book, I had no idea who Krysten Ritter was. It was only when I saw the author blurb when I finished the book that I made the connection that she was an actress that I knew from the Jessica Jones series.

The first note I wrote down while reading was:
Oh my… this writing style does not work for me. It’s so jumpy! I’m on page 9 and I’ve already had to re-read multiple paragraphs because I reached the end and realized I had no idea what I had just read.

I should have bailed there.

How often things are recapped throughout the book was incredibly annoying. Equally annoying was how often the author was so sure of herself just to be proved wrong immediately; “As soon as I think it, I know it must be true.” This was also the case as soon as she spoke things out loud... and my goodness, how many times do we have to mention the fact that Brent kissed her?!

Overall, this book felt extremely repetitive. I didn’t mark down specifics, but I found myself thinking “Haven’t I read that same phrase already?” too many times to count.

The author also uses a lot of short sentences like: “I turn off the ignition. Sit in silence.” Contrasting that, there are run on sentences that could have been broken up, and many sentences that scream for better punctuation.

All of the description got a bit tiresome. It seemed that most descriptions had a “like a” and then random details that didn't really make sense. For example:
Flora waves her arms overhead like an aircraft marshal trying to get me to wheel-in-right.
The east side is where the skeleton of Optimal gradually rose up, like a shipwreck in reverse.
Condor’s living room is like a weather-beaten dock, and I am washed-up wreckage.

And last, we have the dreaded use of "holding a breath without realizing it"... Once in a book is irritating enough. But three times?
Page 16: I let out of breath I didn’t know I was holding…
Page 29: I exhale before realizing I had been holding my breath.
Page 103: ... only after I’m standing on the porch, gulping air, do I realize I was holding my breath.

In my opinion, this book easily could have been edited down to half the length just by removing the unnecessary recaps and repetition. But even then, I'm not sure I would have enjoyed reading it.

My favorite passages:
The sky is in that in-between phase, day and night throwing up a confused riot of blues and pinks and oranges to a soundtrack of crickets.

Memories are like fire, and need only a little oxygen to grow.

My final thoughts:
So here we have it. It's very rare that I give a book a one-star rating, which means that this is a book that I wish I hadn't finished and would absolutely not recommend...

You Only Get One Shot by Kevin J. Kennedy & J.C. Michael is a fast paced horror novella filled with violence and suspense, sprinkled with the paranormal and other bizarre elements. Of course, I really enjoyed it!! And phew, what an interesting plot!

Full disclosure: I was given a free copy of this book from one of the authors in exchange for an honest review. This did not affect my rating in any way.

WOW! What an intense beginning! I knew right from chapter one that this was going to be a novella with a great plot! However, I do have to say that I have very strong feelings over the whole, blaming others for someone committing suicide, but I won’t get into that here. If you pick up this book, just be aware of that.

The next few chapters of the book were broken up to focus on each of the four authors and the stories that they wrote. To avoid spoiling too much, I will be breaking down each character and rating their stories from a personal preference standpoint.

Fiona- Her story “The Wrong Girl" was interesting! The beginning was a little rough, but the overall plot of the short story was interesting! I definitely wanted to learn more about the demonic characters, but the lack of information made it that much more intriguing. I would give her story 3/5.

Diane- Her story “Rezerection” was pretty bizarre but full of violence! I loved the zombie trope she used here. 3.5/5

Drexl- I hated this character from the first sentence from his chapter; what a gross character. His story was titled “Feral.” I’m pretty sure I read this whole story with my eyebrows raised as far up on my face as they could go. Wow. What a crazy story! This is one that will be difficult to forget. 3.5/5

Simon- His story was titled “The Summoned.” I really enjoyed this one! It was dark and violent, and I loved how it ended! I would happily read a whole book based on this one! 5/5

After each of these stories, we dive into the aftermath... I couldn't wait to see how this situation turned out. Not going to lie, I was pretty bummed my favorite character didn't make the cut. But I LOVED the ending! Bravo!!

My favorite passages:
"You'll regret taking me, you know. Do you know who my mum and dad are?"
"I don't give a fuck if your dad's Liam Neeson, kid. We've heard it all before. Now shut up."

Hopkins Lane was a single-track road running out of the southeast corner of town. Think hedgerows lined the tops of steep verges, and occasional pairs of trees reached for each other over the road like drowning lovers. A reaper-black Mercedes was parked in one of the sporadic passing places carved into the verge. The occupant had murder in mind.

She knew what she should really be doing was running for the door and screaming for help, but her legs felt like they were going to give way and something in her brain told her that the soles of her feet were glued to the spot.


My final thoughts:
This novella had such a great plot! And it was everything a horror novella should be; it was suspenseful, bizarre, gritty, uncomfortable, and thrilling! I would definitely recommend this to any horror lover!

The artwork is super cute. I loved the style and the texture! The storyline was interesting and packed a bunch of lessons in that would be great for kids!

One thing that I didn't really care for was the use of various font sizes. For the most part, the font is the same size, but there are random words that are bolded or larger. Right on the first page, "big ideas" is larger than the rest, and each letter in "ideas" is larger than the previous. In some places, different text styles worked, but just not in some...

Overall a cute and fun read! This would definitely be a great one to read out loud to a child, especially one that loves animals!

DNF. This book was just not for me.

Right from the start I had no interest in the characters, which all seemed to blend together.

I cannot stand when books are repetitive and this one repeated the same things over and over again.... It was so repetitive that I found myself skimming very early on. Which is never a good sign for me.

When I set the book down briefly to make tea, I realized I didn’t care one bit about what I had read so far and that I had no interest in picking it back up. So I had to bail.

The Gatekeeper by Kevin J. Kennedy is an awesome short story filled with humor, darkness, and the paranormal! I would have happily read an entire book based on this short!

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

I really enjoyed this short story! Like I said above, I would have happily read an entire book based on this short, but as a short story, it was perfect! I was totally captivated the whole way through and I was quite sad when it ended, simply because I didn't want to let it go just yet.

The humor made me chuckle more than once and I really enjoyed watching the storyline play out! When the creatures began coming out of the gate, I was so excited to see what was next!


My favorite passages:
They call me the 'the Gatekeeper'. Well, no, they don't - not really. No one does. I'm the only one who calls myself 'the Gatekeeper' but it has a nice ring to it, don't you think?

I was stinking drunk. I was sitting in my local bar, a bar that only people like me drank in. People who had sunk to the bottom. The dirt had dirt on it, the chairs were broken, the beer was flat and the barmaid had a face that looked like a melted-rubbery-Freddy mask, but the drink was cheap.

I'm not sure if it was the devil himself that offered me the job or one of his minions, but he certainly had the typical devil getup. Red as fuck, two big horns and cloven feet. I may not be a detective but he certainly wouldn't have needed a passport to get into Hell.

The devil guy had called it a gate but it looked nothing like a gate, it was obviously a trap door. I know what you are thinking: I call myself the Gatekeeper. I thought about that but the Trap Door Keeper just doesn't have the same je ne sais quoi.


My final thoughts:
I'd highly recommend this to fans of the paranormal as long as you don't mind a very brief sex scene.

Collected Halloween Horror Shorts: Trick 'r Treat is a wonderful collection of short stories. Some of the stories are bizarre, some are brutal, some are sad, some are terrifying; this collection has something for any horror fan!

Full disclosure: I was given a free copy of this book from the authors in exchange for an honest review. This did not affect my rating in any way.

My thoughts:
I usually struggle with short story collections. But in this case, I just couldn't put the book down! I was totally hooked and I absolutely loved most of the stories! Out of sixteen stories, there were only two that weren't really for me. The rest were thrilling in different ways.

Gosh, what an awesome collection! I can't wait to check out another collection soon!

And how cool is that cover!? It was designed by Lisa Vasquez.

Here are my rating breakdowns for each story:

Forward - Nev Murray
This is one of the best forwards I have ever read! I was already excited to dive in to this collection, but the forward made me even more excited! The first few sentences had me chuckling! And I totally agree with Nev, I believe Halloween is the most wonderful time of the year! I loved the slight personal touches as well as the compliments to the authors within the collection.

Christina Bergling - Black Widow - 4.5/5
Man, this one totally creeped me out! What a great story! The author totally nailed the college-bro persona.

Richard Chizmar - Mister Parker 5/5
Woah, this one was sad! Poor Mister Parker. I hate pranks!

Andrew Lennon - Girlfriend
Ah yes, the crazy ex! Always a terrifying story! Don’t drink and drive folks! 4.5/5

Mark Lukens - The Coffin Man 5/5
So spooky! I loved the idea of this story. There’s something about stories and not being able to look out windows that’s always hit for me!

Suzanne Fox - The Devils Fruit 4/5
What a fun twist on the typical Halloween game, bobbing for apples!

Christopher Motz - The Halloween Playground 4/5
Woah! This was quite the dark story!

James Matthew Byers - Jenny Greenteeth 1/5
I’m just not a poetry fan…

Steven Stacy - Don't Fear the Reaper 2/5
I didn’t care for this one. Too much teenage girl drama. I also wasn’t really following the story at the start. Fans of the Halloween movies may have better luck with this story though.
This passage was pretty funny though:
“Yeah… hopefully. I think I’d be in a Stephen King book, myself. Really dark, fucked-up shit.”
“I think you’d be in some random short story, if you were that lucky,” Emma giggled again.

Mark Cassell - A Story of Amber 3/5
This one was bizarre and brutal!

Briana Robertson - Trick Turned Treat 0/5
Not a story for me.

Lisa Morton - Pumpkin Rex 5/5
I loved this one! What a fun tale! This needs to be a movie!!

J.C. Michael - The First Shot 4/5
While reading this one, I felt that it was setting something up. Sure enough; there’s a note at the end of the story saying that it’s a prequel for “You Only Get One Shot.” Clever!

Stuart Keane - Hollowed Be Thy 2/5
Another one that’s just not for me with the language.

Peter Oliver Wonder - Dressed For Success 3/5
The idea behind this story was so neat!! I wish it could have been just slightly longer to give us a better taste of the plot.

John R. Little - The Halloween Phantoms 3/5
Phew, another wicked sad one! But what an interesting plot.

Kevin J. Kennedy - Halloweenland 5/5
I’m a total sucker for any story that is set in an amusement park! This one was so awesome! The characters were lovely, the action was thrilling, and the plot was interesting! This one is going to be part of a series of tales, and I cannot wait to read more!


My final thoughts:
This is definitely a collection that I will be coming back to from time to time to reread! It was such a spooky collection! I can't wait to re-read it around Halloween!

Kingsbane by T.L. Branson is another amazing short story that is inspired by the world and characters of the upcoming release of the first book in the Soul Stones series, Soul Render.

I had previously read Ash and Steel and Midnight Blade, two other short stories in this world, and I absolutely loved them. When I saw a roll call for Beta Readers for Kingsbane, I immediately wanted to jump in!

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.

Yet again, I have to start with the cover... How neat is this one?! I couldn't wait to learn who this character was. I'm also totally in love with the updated cover as well!

Per usual, I adored the writing. The story started with an intense situation and then continues at a fast pace. This one was longer than the other two, and I still wanted more! These stories totally suck you in and don't let you go until the last sentence.

I was happy to see a few familiar characters, but really loved meeting a few new ones this time. I really hope to see Ocken and Khate again.


Favorite passages:
Ocken stared out into the darkness. As if facing the thing he hated most made it less frightening to him.

It was pointless to dwell on the darkness of yesterday, no matter how painful it may be, but instead, strive to make a brighter tomorrow.


My final thoughts:
If you haven't checked this series out yet, I highly recommend doing so! They are so much fun and they really help create anticipation for the first book in the Soul Stones series.

DNF. I read the first 50 pages of this one and just didn't care about the characters or anything that was happening. I thought perhaps I just picked it up at a bad time, so I restarted. The second time around I got 70 pages in and still didn't really care so I DNFed. Perhaps I will try again at a later date.

Be careful with this book; once you pick it up, you won't be able to put it down! I was hooked very, very early on and ended up reading all day and into the night until I finished it.

I thought the storyline was very interesting! I mean, just think about the fact that in this book, violent acts committed by humans actually breed one of three real-life monsters. The first are the Corsai, which are described as shadows with teeth that feed on flesh and bone. The second are the Malchai, which are corpses that feed on blood. And the third, the Sunai, can pass for human and feeds on souls.

There was a bit of a Romeo and Juliet vibe, but without the gushy romance factor. I thought that this book could definitely have over done it on the romance side of things if the author wanted to. But it was very refreshing that she did not! However, if a romance were to come about in book 2, I can't say I would be upset. :)

I thought the whole book was paced so well, but there were plenty of twists and turns that I did not see coming! The world building was awesome because the author gave us just enough information without over doing it so as a reader you got to fill in some of the blanks yourself. Victoria Schwab just seems to effortlessly create the most wonderful atmospheres.

The two main characters, August Flynn and Kate Harker, were so wonderfully developed. As the story developed, we got to learn more and more about each character and their families, which is a feature of books that I love. And I adored the way that August and Kate interacted with each other. I cannot wait to see where they end up in book two.

And I mean...the fact that Victoria Schwab said that this book was inspired by one of my favorite lines from VICIOUS: "Plenty of humans were monstrous, and plenty of monsters knew how to play at being human." SO GOOD!

I absolutely LOVED every second of this book. I would highly recommend it! I cannot wait to get my hands on book 2!

My favorite passages:
"Every weakness exposes flesh," he'd said, "and flesh invites a knife."

They were nightmare creatures, the stuff of bedtime stories gone wrong, the things that lurked under the mattress and in the closet, given life and teeth and claws.

It was a cruel trick of the universe, thought August, that he felt human only after doing something monstrous.

Before hearing about this book, I had never heard of a drabble but I was intrigued. This was such a fun collection! I really loved the majority of the stories. I will definitely be going back to this collection from time to time to revisit them.

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.

My thoughts:
My favorite stories were the ones that either spooked me, or took a turn at the very end that I wasn’t expecting!

On the flip side, the ones I didn’t care for were the ones that I felt just didn’t give us enough information, or left me thinking, "wait, what?" Of course I'm sure it’s very difficult in this format to decide which info makes it and what gets the cut... but with any type of collection, it's very normal for me to love some and dislike some.

Reading through this collection took me a while because I re-read many of the stories a couple of times before moving on.

I definitely need to read more flash fiction! These drabbles were so fun! I highly recommend checking this one out if you're a fan of horror, paranormal, and/or sci-fi and don't mind a little darkness.

Feel free to read on to see my quick thoughts after I read each story. There are very slight spoilers.

My quick thoughts on each story after reading:

The Dead Thing by Lisa Morton
What a great opening line: “I’m watching the dead thing in the corner when it moves.” 4/5

Hide and Seek by Matthew Brockmeyer
This one is terrifying! Hide and seek in a junk yard?! It definitely gave me anxiety! Phew! 5/5

They Came For Me by Glenn Rolfe
Eek, I hate spiders! 2/5

Lunchtime by Andrew Lennon
Wait, what happened to Anne? What happens next?! 3/5

Strength in the Blood by A.J. Brown
Woah, this one was dark and so sad! 4/5

It is Just Local Gossip by Norbert Gora
So terrifying! 4/5

Just A Game by Christopher Motz
Yikes! What a horrible friend Jack is! 4/5

Firing Squad by Mark Fleming
Ut oh! 3/5

Alone by Brandy Yassa
Eek! Another terrifying one that got my anxiety going! What happened next?! 5/5

Baby Steps by Michael A. Arnzen
Eh. 1/5

A Song For Them by Mark Cassell
1/5

The Other Me by P.J. Blakey-Novis
Spooky!! I’d love to know more about this one! 4/5

Late Night Drive by John Dover
*gasp!* I didn’t see that coming! 5/5

Hobby by Matt Hickman
Woah! Another one with a great twist! 5/5

Beauty Mask by Sarah Tantlinger
What?! Eww!! 5/5

Bessy by Mark Lumby
What is Bessy?! 2/5

Heart Shaped Box by Pippa Bailey
2/5

Post Halloween by Veronica Smith
Woah! I love this one! 5/5

The Man in the Black Sweater by Richard Chizmar
Yes!!! This one is perfect. 5/5

Virtual Reality by David Owain Hughes
Ah! What a fun twist of VR! 5/5

I Was Loved by P.J. Blakey-Novis
So messed up! 4/5

The End of the Pier by Amy Cross
Eek! A dark and sad one with a twist that made me jump! 5/5

The Dublin Pub by Veronica Smith
Woah! Creepy! 5/5

I Am The End by Michael Bray
Beautifully written! 5/5

Beasts from Below by Alex Laybourne
3/5

Coming Home by Suzanne Fox
Ooh a sci-fi one! 5/5

Stone Dry by Sarah Tantlinger
2/5

The Box by Valerie Lioudis
Eek! This one was straight out of a nightmare! 5/5

Best Of Friends by Stefan Lear
Woah. Another one that took a dark twist! 4/5

It Came by Mark Lumby
Ew! 3/5

Cold Toes by Georgia Lennon
Oh dang! 5/5

Edmond by James Matthew Buyers
Yikes! I’m not a poetry fan, but I did rather enjoy this one! 3/5

Knock Knock by C. S. Anderson
Ha! This one started so creepy and took both a terrifying and hilarious turn. 4/5

Delusional by Suzanne Fox
So creepy! 5/5

Disregarded Advice by Ike Hamill
Ah! Creepy! What happens next?! 5/5

Harsh Sentence by P. Mattern
Ouch! While very dark and bloody, I loved this one! I wonder what the answer to his question “why?” would have been. 5/5

No More by Mike Duke
Woah! Good for her! 5/5

What is Schizophrenia, Anyway? By Robert W. Easton
1/5

Shower Thoughts by Peter Oliver Wonder
Oh no! Yikes!! 5/5

A Caring Community? by Suzanne Fox
Aww. This was so sad! 5/5

Lightbulb by Matthew Brockmeyer
Eek! What a twist! 5/5

A Demonic Pact by Billy San Juan
3/5

Till Death do us Part by Derek Shupert
Aw no! 4/5

Someone’s in my House by Gord Rollo
Creepy!! 4/5

It by Billy Chizmar
Woah! What a spooky space tale! 5/5

Checkmate Roommate by Michael A. Arnzen
*gasp* so dark! 5/5

Silence by Pippa Bailey
Woah! This one was so crazy! 5/5

Jolly Ol’Infiltrator by Weston Kincade
3/5

Shadows by Antonio Simon, Jr.
Oh! This one was such an interesting idea! 5/5

Winter’s Embrace by Duncan P. Bradshaw
2/5

Cut Down to Size by David Owain Hughes
Ah! So crazy! What a neat idea though! 5/5

Children of the Carnival by Kevin J. Kennedy
So scary! What a spooky idea! 5/5

The Grave by Amy Cross
Dark and scary! 5/5

Will-o’-the-Wisp by Nicholas Diak
Aw, so sad!! 5/5

Stone by Becky Narron
Eerie! 4/5

Meal For One by Howard Carlyle
Eek!! Cannibalism is always so unsettling. 4/5

Don’t Look Back by James Matthew Buyers
Another poem. 3/5

Street-Hearts by Chris Kelso
1/5

Consumed by Desire by Adriaan Bear
Eek! 2/5

Another Tonight? by William F. Nolan
A very creepy poem. 3/5

Destiny’s Embrace by Michael Paul Gonzalez
Oh! This was quite the bloody story! 4/5

Clean by Valerie Lioudis
3/5

Trees by Donelle Pardee Whiting
Eek! I’m a total sucker for stories that feature evil trees! 5/5

Dancing by David Owain Hughes
Dang! 4/5

Running from Him by Michael A. Arnzen
Oh my gosh! So dark! What a twist! 5/5

Night Terrors by Lisa Vasquez
What a nightmare! 5/5

It’s just a dream, right? by Ellen A. Easton
Ah! The last line! 5/5

Over the Edge by Mark Cassell
So creepy!! 5/5

The Beauty of the Sea by Kevin J. Kennedy
Creatures from the sea? This one is my fiancé’s worst nightmare!! 5/5

Breadth of Bone by Sarah Tantlinger
Not a story for me. 1/5

Never Leave Me, Nor Forsake Me by Mike Duke
Yikes!! 4/5

Escape by Megan Ince
So terrifying! I love stories about the woods! 5/5

Forever Men by Eric J. Guignard
3/5

The Artist by Howard Carlyle
Woah!! So gruesome. 5/5

Initiation by Mark Fleming
Oh! Another sad one. 4/5

‘What’s For Dinner?’ by Christopher Motz
Oh dang! What an awful holiday. 4/5

Vermilion by Lisa Vasquez
Eek! 4/5

Jack Frost by Christina Bergling
Burr! This one made me cold! 4/5

Coming Around by C. M. Saunders
Absolutely terrifying!! This one is a straight up nightmare! 5/5

Bad Cop, Bad Cop by James H Longmore
3/5

Experimental Animal 7 by Lee McGeorge
Yikes! Definitely should have bright tranquilizer guns. 4/5

Bummed Light by James Matthew Buyers
Another poem. 2/5

Sugar & Spice by Chad Lutzke
Oh my gosh! Abby is a little terror! 5/5

Air by David McClusky
Oh no! I didn’t know what was going on until that last paragraph! Yikes! 5/5

You Don’t See Me by Christina Bergling
Terrifying!! This one gave me chills! I’m so paranoid about someone being in my house unknown to me. 5/5

The Dead Train by Craig Saunders
2/5

Delivery by Briana Robertson
Creepy and so sad! 4/5

The Guest by Dave McClusky
Ah, another sad one! 4/5

Nights In Whitechapel by Theresa Jacobs
1/5

Betrayal by Lee Mountford
Yikes!! 4/5

Beautiful Francesca by Ike Hamill
Eek! How creepy. I’d love to see how this one played out. 5/5

Priscilla’s Pugnacious Pampered Pugs by Brandy Yassa
Yikes! Bad Pugs! 5/5

Mister Fancy Pants by Rhys Hughes
Oh, what? Haha that took a very unexpected turn. 4/5

Greed Has No Heart by Mark Lumby
2/5

Beast in the Bedroom by Phillippa Bailey
Yikes! What was the beast? Was it a King King like creature? 4/5

The Boy by Richard Chizmar and Billy Chizmar
Oh no! This one could certainly be a whole book!! 5/5

Weeping Keys by Elizabeth Cash
What kinds of people were they?! 4/5

Grand Slam by Christina Bergling
Ah! Who was he? What happened?! 5/5

Shock Collar by Jeff Strand
Yikes! What a messed up idea! But I’m very glad it didn’t involve a poor dog. 4/5

The Festival of Gluttony by Mike Duke
Eek! Another cannibalism one. 3/5

Selfie by Rick Gualtieri
What an absolutely terrifying story!! Better double check your selfies! Especially when mirrors are involved. 5/5

Jonathan by Amy Cross
Aww. I wasn’t sure where this one was going at first. It reminded me of the music video for The Quiet Things That No One Ever Knows.

A Flash Beginning by Jessica Gomez
Aw! 4/5

SpellBound by John Dover
Oooh! Spooky! 4/5

I Was a Teenage Eulogist by Jason M. Light
What a neat idea! Very dark though. 5/5

From the Mouths of Drunks and Babes by Alex Laybourne
Gotta love a story about aliens! 4/5

Stage Fright by James McCulloch
1/5

Cupid and Death by Rhys Hughes
Intense! And slightly confusing. I had to read this one a couple times. 4/5

The Feast by Rebecca Brae
Eek! 4/5

The Dolls by Mark Lukens
Creepy!! 4/5