shawna_reads's Reviews (471)

"Sacrifice was about loss. It was about giving up things you loved. It was about doing the things that were hardest, that scared you the most."

Chris's world turns upside down when her son dies in a tragic car crash. The grief overcomes her until one day a small cut on her finger drips blood onto his roadside memorial, changing her life. She suddenly starts seeing his ghost, but is it really him or some malevolent force?

Obviously I don't have children so it is difficult to relate to the main character in that aspect. However, the writing is very effective that you could feel Chris's grief through the pages and, as crazy as her actions are, how badly she just wants to have her son back in her life. The frustration, the sorrow, the self-inflicted pain she creates - you could really feel it all.

At only 110 pages, Hightower packs a punch, even though the pacing is a little slow. It is emotional and harrowing, but also creepy and horrifying thinking about what would happen next. And her neighbour, Dan, is the sweetest guy who really tried his best to understand her. 

If you enjoy grief horror then you will like this novella!

"We are each what the past has made of us." 

Clay Cooper and the band were once known as the meanest, most feared crew of mercenaries in Heartwyld. Now, the mercs have grown old, fat, or drunk. When Clay's ex-bandmate, Gabriel, shows up at his door looking for help in rescuing his daughter, they round up the band and go on a mission that could be seen as either brave or stupid. 

I always have a difficult time reviewing a fantasy book because I don't always read them, and when I do, they are so so good and I never know how to talk about it coherently 😂 

Kings of the Wyld was epic! The world building was fantastic and the whole book was packed with action. There were tons of different creatures along the way, impressive fight scenes, bloodshed, and more. It was also very comedic! A lot of the jokes had me laughing out loud and I just love that in a book. 

The character development was perfect. I loved every one of the bandmates and the different personalities they brought to the band. They met a lot of characters on their journey, some old faces and some new, and they all brought something to the story. Even when they had their quarrels they were able to set aside their differences and work as a team. 

This was an epic fantasy that got me hungry for more! I can't wait to get the second book and dive back into Heartwyld.

"Never be afraid because fear is what evil feeds on. Evil is what kills us all in the end." 

Human Tenderloin is a collection of 16 horror stories that will tug at your heart strings and scare you. They will evoke some kind of emotion from you, yet leave you wanting more. From a husband making a sacrifice for his wife, to a father saving his daughter from a sleeping epidemic, to fine-dining cannibals, to a man checking into a hotel but never leaving (just to name a few), these stories are beautifully written and Wallwork certainly delivers. 

My favourites include: 

Dollhouse
Everybody Hurts
Night Holds a Scythe
Mother's Day 
Nothing Short of Dying 

This was my first book by this author and it did not disappoint. I definitely recommend this one!

"Trick or treat you say, you should not have waited until the end of the day. Tonight you will lose your tricks and treats, for the monsters need to eat." 

In the small town of Strang, a creature known as Halloween haunts its residents every night. Once the sun sets, he comes to collect a treat at each household: a small, live offering. The townspeople obey because they don't want to be Halloween's next target. 

This novella is perfect for spooky season! It's a unique story of a halloween tradition twisted around so that nobody wants to leave their house after dark. At just 112 pages, this book reels you right in with its eerie atmosphere. The way the creature taunts the residents is straight up terrifying! 

I won't say too much more since it's a short one, but it is worth the read! A fun, spine-chilling novella for Halloween!

"It was the night before Halloween and there was a certain uncanny magic in the air, a sense of something momentous about to occur. Something special and life-altering. Each of the gathered acolytes felt it deep in their bones." 

It's the night before Halloween and a satanic mass takes place in the woods. The devil assigns his followers a mission - deliver a bounty of virgin souls to him on Halloween. As the day begins, so does Count Victor von Gravemore's horror movie marathon as people tune in, not knowing real life horrors are about to ensue. 

The POV used for this story made for an interesting read. It was different compared to typical clichés because the MC was no devil worshipper. Micah's girlfriend was a Satanist and he would do anything for her, including attending a satanic mass. Once he realized what was happening, it was too late to turn back, and he had no choice but to participate in a mass killing alongside his girlfriend. 

Kill for Satan was a straight up bloodfest with satanic worship, human sacrifice, ritualistic orgies, and gory fun. It felt like an old school slasher movie and a black metal music video had a baby and produced this novella! Not for the faint of heart, but I do recommend this for lovers of blood and gore!

"A monster doesn't have to look like a monster to be one." 

Every local kid in Blackwood, Vermont knows the legend of Benny Rose, The Cannibal King. When a new girl moves to town Desiree and her friends decide to pull a prank on her. However, it doesn't go right when a storm hits town and Benny Rose appears to be hunting them, no longer just a legend. 

I had a lot of fun reading this. A group of high school girls befriend a new girl in town and convince her to have them over at her place on Halloween for horror movies and spooky stories. Sounds great, right? What could possibly go wrong? Well, Benny Rose, that's what! 

He appears and the book takes a violent turn as there is blood and gore. Deep rooted secrets in the neighbourhood come to life and the girls have to fight for survival. The characters are great and the setting is atmospheric. The story is well written and full of mayhem. If you're looking for a fun, quick, spooky read (especially around Halloween) then look no further!

"Everyone's afraid of something." 

Every night is Halloween in Autumncrow Valley. There are only a few rules: stay out of the forest, don't go out in the dark, and don't stare at the shadows for long. You might not like what you see! 

Before I get into it, I want to say that this is hands down one of my favourite covers! The art is just amazing 😍 

This is a collection of 7 stories set in the town of Autumncrow Valley. The prologue titled Follow Me In sets the reader up for what is expected in this creepy town, which I loved. There are different themes to each story that you may not think fit, but it all worked so well. They range from sweet and innocent to spooky and eerie. You can feel all the autumnal, chilly vibes within each story. 

My favourites include Pumpkin Light, CRYP-TV, and There Are Monsters Here. Autumncrow is perfect for spooky season. I highly recommend it!

"Only death was true. Death was the great equalizer, the one certainty, the only promise that could never be broken. That was its beauty. That was its power - the power of being undeniably real." 

Freshway grocery store has been competing with their new rival, Devil's Food. The manager makes his employees work a night shift to clean the store and bring back customers. Little do they know, the employees at Devil's Food are about to wreak havoc on Freshway. They are no ordinary grocery store - they are run by murderous Satanists looking for blood. 

I loved how the authors took a simple concept of having a shitty job at the grocery store and turned it into gory, satanic fun. If you're looking for a book about a cult, sex, satanic rituals, blood, and extreme gore then look no further because this book has it all! 

The characters were all great in their own ways, bringing fear and humour to the situation they had to face. The deaths were over the top and the overall story was a lot of fun. I felt bad for the employees of Freshway because if it weren't for their asshole of a boss they never would have gotten into an extremely bloody mess. 

The writing flowed well that you wouldn't even know this was written by two authors. I haven't read anything else by Harding and I've only read one book by Triana so I'm definitely looking forward to reading more of their work! 

Please read content warnings before reading!

"Sometimes the world is just cruel." 

A prank takes over America as people dress up as killer clowns terrorizing the streets. It was supposed to be fun and harmless, however a group of neighbours decide to take matters into their own hands. A group of clowns is abducted, set loose in the woods, and must fight for their lives as they're hunted and tortured. 

Wowee! This book is wild! I really enjoyed the concept of the story as we all remember the crazy clown trend back in 2016. Who would have thought about reversing the roles to have "normal" people terrorizing the clowns instead? Well, Sonnet did and she definitely delivers! 

The prologue opens with a crazy clown killer and then we are introduced to Willow, whose life is falling apart. As his character develops he happens to be at the wrong place at the wrong time and, surprise surprise, he is dressed as a clown. That is all I'm going to say as the book is short, and this is where all the action-packed bloody mess begins. 

This book is not for the faint of heart. It is very gruesome, gory, and disgusting so please read the content warnings before deciding to pick it up!

"Metal never dies. Metal never retreats. Metal never surrenders." 

Kris Pulaski is in the metal band, Durt Wurk, before the singer, Terry Hunt, leaves the band behind to create another band called Koffin. Twenty years later, Kris makes a shocking discovery that her soul may have been involved in Terry's rise to fame. She then embarks on a road trip to try and reunite with her old bandmates and take down the old singer. 

I loved the concept of a haunted metal band. It was original and the music lover in me enjoyed the metal references throughout the book. Some songs/bands I recognized and others had me googling albums, which was fun to me 😅 I've been to a lot of concerts over the years so I felt like the descriptions of how the band came together, their shows, and groupies were all real. The album and lyrics from Durt Wurk were awesome! 

Don't go into this book expecting a gory, spooky horror because it's not. There was some gore, but it was more of a supernatural horror in my opinion. There were soul-sucking demons, but I wanted more from them. I felt like there should have been more background info on how they were discovered and the effects they had. Also, the ending was anticlimactic which was disappointing, but it honestly didn't take away from my overall enjoyment of the book!