Home Before Dark had me all over the place in terms of feels and "What is happening?!" I had such a fun time reading this and enjoyed the way it was told. The story, like so many, alternates between POVs. But that is where HBD is unique compared to other books with this storytelling technique. See the whole thing about HBD is that it focuses on a woman who grew up in a haunted house and whose family was made rich and famous from a book her father wrote about their personal experiences in that house which resulted in them fleeing in the middle of the night. She has to go back to the house after her father's passing because she inherited it in his will - yep, he never sold the house! So every other story alternates between our current time and a chapter from the book her father wrote. Which POV is true? How are the past and present connected? Who is real and who is lying?

One of the things this book made me think of is The Haunting of Hill House Netflix adaptation... mostly just in terms of kids growing up in a haunted house and how their lives are impacted in the present... and all the flashbacks, etc.

I had such a great time with this one and I am here for all the spooky houses! 4.5 stars!

Nightfall is the first in a series (maybe 12?!) called the Nightmareland Chronicles. This post-apoc story starts right when the sun/light goes out, people start acting strangely, and we have no idea why. Interestingly enough, however, that is not the primary focus of this first installment. We get to meet two characters who I think are pretty rad: John and Mariah. John is definitely somebody who has a past... and I am not quite sure what that past is. But you can tell there are skeletons in his closet but whatever happened he is able to make the tough decisions when necessary. He is definitely someone you want on your side when crap hits the fan. Mariah is the local barkeep at a bar that John frequents. You can tell that she is pretty quick witted and spunky and that her character is going to be one to watch as the series progresses (or I hope so anyway)! I definitely enjoyed how these characters have been built up and their relationship with each other... I hope more books in this series include their newfound bond and that we get to uncover each of their secrets and pasts together. And I hope we get to figure out why the sun went out! As for now, I will have to settle for this brand new , creepy, and odd little post-apoc world that has been created and vividly described by Daniel Barnett. I can't wait to start part 2: Lullaby! 4 stars!

3 stars - Full review to come!

On the surface, this book is about the magical mythos of mermaids, sirens, eloko, gargoyles, etc. One girl is secretly a siren who struggles with her identity while suppressing herself as well as her gifts... and the other girl is kind of like a mermaid cosplayer at the local Renaissance Fair - but she is going through changes and battling her past demons as a survivor of an accident that left her friends turned to stone. Say what?! In this multiverse version of Portland, only Black women can be sirens yet they must refrain from "using their voices" - sound eerily familiar? This book explores being a Black woman as well as how it relates to being Black in general, how they are both treated and perceived, and the lengths society and ones own self can go to silencing those voices. This book also sheds light on female empowerment and lifting up your friends and community. What a truly impressive story and one I must recommend! And THAT COVER!!!

Fresh off finishing These Witches Don't Burn, I instantly connected with this prequel novella like no time had passed at all. I think that helps when reading prequels and sequels. But this story makes me realize just how putrid and selfish Veronica is. She is the worst girlfriend ever, so emotionally leechy and snake-like. SO TOXIC! UGH! OK, so I do not like her at all! Lol - but that makes the Hannah growth arc in TWDB so much more powerful and resilient to me. It was good seeing all that went down, which was briefly summarized in TWDB, on this daunting school trip to NYC. But now I just have even more empathy and understanding for Hannah and I am rooting for her love life here!

It was also super cool to get so entwined with a group of Casters, one of the three witch clans we are introduced to in this world. Following along with them in this story really amped up the pace! All their potion work was a lot of fun and it was just cool seeing a different side of the magic that Starling has created in this new magical universe!

I really am enjoying this universe and will definitely be reading the sequel soon! I want this to be a big series as it definitely has SO MUCH potential for expansion and storylines! There are so many options at new plots when you compare the three Clans and how they interact and operate... I can't wait for more!

Hold on to your horses! This story is wilder than any manic Monday you have ever encountered! Author Scott Cole has given us a way to fear Mondays even more, as Crazytimes gives us a glance in a Monday in the life of a man where the world is flipped upside down and all bets are off. This book starts off with a man who has the same moans and groans of any 9-to-5er. He does not want to go to work, his bills are on his mind, he's thinking about his ex, his commute is full of annoyances from his stop for morning coffee and the traffic, and his boss is a micromanaging pain in the butt. But is that even the worst thing? NOPE! Because all of a sudden everyone around him is going to turn bloodthirsty and crazed with no explanation to him. There is a an unknown contagion spreading rapidly and whenever it's noticed then it's already too late to stop it from taking over.
The rest of his day is going to be full of blood, gore, dismemberment, bodies seemingly exploding, meteors, and more! This book fits perfectly in the Grindhouse Press catalog as it delivers non-stop action and gross horror. I had so much fun with this novella! Each scene just got crazier and crazier and I was totally into it all!

Highly recommended! 4.5 stars and rounded up for Goodreads

This is the first Elizabeth Acevdeo book I have read and it is definitely not going to be the last! I loved being transported into this book - and I was there with all five senses! Most books do not do that, but I felt like I could smell and taste everything in this book! Spoiler alert: I ate anything and everything in sight while reading because this book made me SO hungry! I really wish our main character, Emoni, was real and that she was a real chef with a real restaurant because I would travel for that! This is a great escape book and one I definitely recommend!

Oliver Seneca puts his spin on an apocalyptic horror/thriller with When the Sky Goes Dark! The book starts out fairly calm - well as calm as it can for an anxious and somewhat quirky college student who is not the best with words and confidence. But the story quickly unfolds into mayhem with the body count rising as mysterious events (plane crashes, riots, people randomly killing each other, disappearances, etc) are rising all over the world. No one knows what is going on, either. And while everyone is struggling to stay alive and connected to one another, everything else is spiraling out of control! Seneca creates a totally unique "end of the world" horror story and I am sure we will be seeing more from him! 3.5 stars rounded up for Goodreads!

I found a whole new magical world that I want to read about endlessly! Isabel Sterling has crafted this universe that needs to be explored with many more books! This book blends YA contemporary (romance and friendships) with horror and fantasy/magical realism. AND I'M HERE FOR IT! The story reads quickly - like... SUPER FAST! But I was totally engrossed in the characters and the plot - I had to know what was going to happen and felt like putting the book down would mean that the story would go on without me. So, I just didn't put the book down! Problem solved.

This book has magic, action, romance, mystery, and more. Highly recommended and I seriously hope this is going to be a BIG series!

"Does anyone else feel like we're trapped in some demented version of Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory?"

The House that Fell from the Sky has such an interesting premise to me. As the title indicates, one night a house appears in the middle of the street which no one can enter and no windows can break. It seems to have literally fallen from the sky. Early on, two people do make it inside, but they do not have the best outcome. It seems the house chooses who it wants to let in and who it wants to keep out. And the house has secrets within its walls.

A year has passed and an agency known as the Crow Corporation has taken control of the building. They are hosting a lottery for a select amount of people who can win $1 million if they stay overnight. Kinda like Willy Wonka, right?! WRONG! No amount of money or chocolate could have lured me into that house... but the group of our protagonists, with the help of a magician, have different plans and different goals.

The first half of the book explores a group of friends, their relationships to each other, and just gives a pretty good insight into what makes them tick. That is important to know because the house can sort of feed of time and memories. The house itself serves as a character, too. Similar to Hill House, Rose Red, The Overlook, etc, the house has a will of its own and its own intentions. Full of Gothic descriptions and rooms aplenty, this is not the house you want to go wandering off alone in because you may never be seen again.

I thought this was a super fun book but I would have loved even more time IN the house exploring all its nooks, crannies, passages, and rooms. I love a book when the house is like this! This story has a lot going on and there are definitely puzzle pieces for the reader to connect - but it worked and it was enjoyable! 4 stars!