Sadly I couldn't connect with this one. It seemed like a lot of just aimless rambling of trivial woes from the demon's POV. I really wanted to get into this, but we can't win them all.

Slappy is a true Goosebumps icon. Moral of this story: be nice to your cousins! And... just don't have an attic full of ventriloquist dummies! 3 stars

This is the first book I have read by Heather Gudenkauf and it was a fantastic introduction. I will definitely be reading more of her!

These Things Hidden follows 4 different narratives and is all about uncovering the past and figuring out how these characters are all connected (some are way more obvious and up front than others). My mind went through all the emotions and "what the heck is going on?!" throughout this whole book.

I actually got so invested that a few situations made my eyes well up because some heavy stuff was going on... this is definitely a quick, fast-paced read that I recommend! The chapters are pretty short which is also helpful in building tension and keeping anticipation levels high. 5 stars from me!

Mellick delivers as always! Village of the Mermaids is a gnarly twist on the lore that we grew up learning. These mermaids are killers... and they are protected by a government agency aimed at preserving life of endangered species. Entire ecosystems and food chains have been instituted to keep these mermaids alive... but soon they start to change... and everything we are just finding out is already out the window!

Village of the Mermaids has quite a bit of humor thrown into it - which I definitely loved. But I also LOVED the vampiric mermaids and the arachnid mermaids we start seeing! Oh, and mermen! YIKES! Fans of mermaids and nautical horror NEED THIS BOOK! 4.5 stars!

Aaron Dries writes with some of the most elegant language I have read in a while. I swear his sentences read the way smoothing hot butter on toast feels. I am completely entranced when reading. This is the second book of his I have read (the first was a collab called Where The Dead Go To Die) and he continues to wow me with his style.

This story follows Liz Frost, a bus driver going through some stuff, and the passengers and victims on a wild ride to hell. And she is pretty psychotic and unhinged. What's interesting is all I could think about was the scary bus driver and bus scenes in A Nightmare on Elm Street 2 throughout most of this book - in a good way! But this book is far more brutal than that! The story is pretty fast paced and alternates between multiple POVs. My only struggle with this book was that, while it alternates POVs, it also alternates past to present with them all, and I had a difficult time knowing who or what was going on SOMETIMES. I was pretty focused on the present because - well - SHEER TERROR AND PANIC from Liz Frost in the present. But sometimes I just got a little lost - but again, his writing is just so nice to read with vivid descriptions and great details that I did not mind a bit.

Going to give this one 3.5 stars and round up to 4! Aaron Dries is a true talent and I am glad to have added him to my library of authors to be on the look out for. Now on to my next Dries book...! :)

This was a solid quirky read about the entire world committing suicide at once except for one man who was so drunk he didn't "get that supernatural urge." After he wakes up he realizes the world is strange and he stumbles across a woman with reptile skin... and together they discover oddddddd things! This would be a great intro to Mellick as it is not gross, profane, or overly sexy... and his writing style and unique imagination is brought to the surface. 4 stars!

Hollywood Park is an interesting memoir about a boy who "escapes" / is removed from a cult at a young age. We get to follow his journey from the day he leaves until adulthood. This story is packed with a lot of information and the journey Mikel Jollett goes through is full of many ups and downs. While this book was interesting, it is not what I expected. I expected more cult - but there is not much of that at all, despite being "marketed" as a cult tale. I appreciate and respect Mikel's growth and journey, but I didn't love it. Getting a 2.5 star for this one and rounded up for Goodreads!

I honestly do not even know how to review this book because of how brilliant it is. This is hands down going into my top 5 books of the year. It is poignant, heartbreaking, uplifting, funny, sad, intense, and just everything you can imagine! It covers the spectrum of emotions and this book had me all over the place. George M. Johnson bares it all in this story - and his is one that everyone should read. We get SUCH a lesson on being a Black, queer person with All Boys Aren't Blue and I think of this book as 100% essential. I am getting chills just thinking about it and writing this review. Apologies for not being able to articulate more, but this book is just .... SO GOOD! Trust me! Just do it! 5 stars! Infinity stars!!

Dust is the third installment Splatter Western series published by Death's Head Press. Each book in the series has told a different story with a somewhat different theme/style. Dust is no different! In this book we get a little magic and some old gods thrown in to bring some fantasy elements into this gory, horror western! A dash of cosmic fun never hurt anyone, right? Dust is exciting and full of adventure - quite a lot happens in these pages. Being less than 200 pages, however, did not allow for a lot of character development. There are some awesome personalities and people in this book, but we never got a total in-depth look into them. I would have really loved more backstory on or two main characters, James Dee and Denarius, as well as our wicked antagonist, Gear Dreary. I think I read through this one the quickest, but it was because their were a LOT of action scenes that just kept the pages turning and turning. 3 stars! Also, this is my favorite cover in the series so far! It's just so.... *heart eyes for days*

La Belle Ajar is a stunning little collection of cento poems. I had heard of cento poems before, but I was not totally sure what they were I don't think. If you are like me and did not know, a cento is a poetical work wholly composed of verses or passages taken from other authors. So now the homage to Sylvia Plath's The Bell Jar probably starts making a lot more sense!

These poems are thought-provoking and have incredible imagery and word choices. I have not read The Bell jar in yeaaaaaaaaaaaars, but this collection sure made me want to revisit it! It's pretty cool seeing an author like Plath still being praised and revered so many years later in a unique way like this! 4 stars!