shawna_reads's Reviews (471)

"Oh, what it is to realize that the only thing worse than there being somebody there is there being nobody there." 

The Haunting Season is a collection of eight ghostly tales. From a Christmas market to a haunted country estate to a London mansion with a girl frozen in death, each story is haunting and brings out the macabre. 

This book is perfect for winter. Reading it while cozied up in a blanket, a candle burning, and a cup of tea nearby really set the mood. The stories were atmospheric, chilling, and beautifully written. 

I was familiar with 3 of the authors and the rest were new to me. It was hard to pick a favourite as I really enjoyed most of the stories, but I think The Chillingham Chair by Laura Purcell and Confinement by Kiran Millwood Hargrave were my absolute favourites. 

It is obviously still winter so I highly recommend this for the season!

"We want books. We love books. We live with books."

Irene is a professional spy for a mysterious Library. She is sent on a mission to an alternative London with her colleague, Kai, to retrieve a dangerous book. They get there to find the book already stolen in a chaos-infested world (one where supernatural creatures live and unpredictable magic occur), making their mission even more difficult.

I am always so intrigued when it comes to reading fantasy. Learning about a new magic system, following new lingo, becoming familiar with different characters, parallel universes. Also, a mysterious Library that no one knows about??? A book about books is always wonderful!

I really liked the characters and how their relationships formed. Irene was thrown into a dangerous mission while becoming a mentor to someone she's never met, Kai. Even the rivalry between Librarians, and facing villains in an alternate universe made the mission even more interesting. 

As much as I enjoyed the book, there were a lot of confusing parts as some things weren't thoroughly explained and I had a lot of questions. It's not a big problem imo though because an introduction into a series usually has a lot of info that will eventually come together if you continue on. This is book 1 in a series of 8. I liked it enough that I plan on continuing the series to see how it all pans out.

"Energy is never destroyed, it can only be changed from one form into another." 

20th Century Ghosts is a collection of short stories. From a ghost in a movie theater to kidnapped children to an inflatable boy to a crazy horror author, each story has different tones and moods to offer to readers. 

I read this a month ago and already can't remember many of the stories 😂 Some were duds, some were good, and others amazing. I was sure to jot down my favourites so I could mention them here. Out of the 15 stories, my absolute faves included: 

The Black Phone
The Cape
Last Breath
Voluntary Committal 

This was a fun collection of stories that I think everyone would enjoy as the horror was tame.

"The past fought change because it was destructive to the future." 

I'm sure everyone is well aware of the story of 11/22/63. Jake sets out on an impossible mission to prevent the JFK assassination. He leaves behind his world of technology and enters one full of big American cars, diners and dancing before his time. Along the way, he falls in love with a woman named Sadie, and eventually crosses paths with the person he must stop - Lee Harvey Oswald. 

Wow! I don't know what more to say as this is a well loved book, but King really has a way with words. I don't normally care for politics in my books, but he managed to weave it into such an engaging historical fiction. It was beautifully written and packed a whole lot of emotions. 

I would like to say that I also don't care for romance in my novels, but I think Jake and Sadie are my favourite fictional couple. Their relationship was so beautiful and I was rooting for them the whole way. They were so sweet on each other, it made my heart melt. And that says a lot coming from me because I am no romantic 😂 There were also a lot of lovely supporting characters throughout the book. 

Oh, and I can't forget about the Easter eggs! I absolutely loved the references to IT. 

Anyway, I'm going to keep this review short (if this is considered short 😂) because like I said, I don't know what more I can add that hasn't been said already. I'm glad I finally read it as it is now in my top 10 Kings! 

"It's built with blood." 

A retail giant called The Store just opened in the small town of Juniper, Arizona. Everything the townspeople need is now found under one roof, but they better beware as the store requires something of its customers. Bill Davis senses evil lurking within the Store, but he can't stop his two daughters from working there. He is compelled to figure out what's going on before it's too late. 

I liked the concept of this story. A big retailer opened in a small town and slowly kept expanding only to take over the entire town and run all of the small businesses to the ground. The townspeople had mixed feelings as their livelihoods were jeopardized, but at the same time, a lot of them were under the influence of The Store. It was crazy to read about how one store could take over your life and make you pay (in some crazy ways) if you disobeyed them both as an employee and a customer 👀 

The owner of The Store was creepy af, as well as management and the "night staff". I enjoyed the characters and how each of them were effected in many different ways. I could really feel Bill's dislike for the Store oozing off the pages. 

I did have a few gripes with the story. For one, the book easily could have been shorter as the actions of the Store became repetitive. Also, the ending didn't make any sense to me. I mean, it did, but it was unrealistic in my opinion. I won't go into detail as to spoil it, but it was pretty lackluster. But overall, The Store was pretty entertaining!

"I wanted to help the world. You've done nothing but destroy. You are death itself." 

Detective Henry Coxton runs a ghost hunting firm where he investigates mysteries in the streets of Edwardian London. He and his colleagues, a telekinetic named Violet Asquith and an intriguing monster, Christopher X, have accepted their most challenging case. One that may destroy the firm and perhaps reality itself. 

I love finding books that I've never heard of and end up really enjoying them. I had no idea what to expect and was pleasantly surprised at how engaging it was. I mean, it had everything I love in a mystery - the occult, a historical setting, supernatural and horror elements, and wonderful characters. 

I liked that it didn't follow the typical ghost hunter trope you see on TV. Henry was a caring man with a frightening past. Violet was tough, but sweet with her telekinetic abilities coming in handy. Christopher felt lost, but get on his wrong side and he would tear you apart. They all had something to bring to the table and they worked well together as a team despite their individual troubles. 

The ending felt a little rushed, but it was still enjoyable overall. This book was mysterious, engaging, magical, and surprisingly gory at times. If you're looking for something a little different, I recommend this book! 

"The magic will die with her." 

Olly's Nana, Ivy, lives on Newhaven Crescent where she takes care of the crazy elderly residents. It is no surprise to her when their veins turn black and their skin begins to shed. She knows what needs to be done as she has a dark secret. Olly doesn't know how he feels about the residents, but soon he will realize there's more to Nana than candy and slippers. 

Right off the bat you meet the residents of Newhaven Crescent as a young boy was delivering newspapers to them. They were old, vile, funny, and crude. Then came Olly who was forced to stay with his nana one night while his parents needed time to work on their marriage. The residents were hosting a talent show and that was where shit hit the fan. 

I can't believe how gross this novella was, but that was what made it fun. The way Nana took care of the residents like kin to the descriptions of the deformities to the sexual deviant behaviours displayed by the elders 🤢 At first I thought "Aw, how sweet of nana", but then my thoughts turned to "What the actual fuck is going on?" 😂 

I'm not going to say much more as it's only 120 pages long. Just know that this novella was unsettling and disturbing, yet fun and entertaining. 

"That way I can bathe in her death... I want to smear her patronizing essence all over me, absorb the finality in knowing I've beaten her."

Bone Chimes is Rufty's first collection of short stories. From a gated community offering blood to a magical love seat to a camping trip gone wrong to a morbid video game challenge, each story was eerie and disturbing. My expectations were kind of high because with a cover like that, I was expecting them to be a lot more spookier. But overall, this was a fun collection of stories. Some were unique and some I enjoyed more than others. 

Out of the 9 stories, my favourites were:

The Chomper
The Wager
Bruce Smiley's Ultimate Death Machine

I'll have to get my hands on Bone Chimes 2 to check it out.

"One thing I know is that the longer you spend in darkness, the easier it is for that darkness to become reality. It takes form, it gains life." 

Aaron's life changes when his wife, Allison, is killed at the mall. While grieving, he goes through her belongings and mementos to reminisce until he finds a receipt for a motel. Curiosity kicks in as Aaron decides to follow it, uncovering a secret investigation that his wife was involved in. 

This was my first book by Malfi and certainly not the last. It was addictive from start to finish. He created an atmospheric read full of twists and turns that I wasn't expecting, and I loved every minute of it. What was his wife investigating? Where was she going? Every time I thought I knew what was happening, bam! Something new happened. 

The book was beautifully written as the reader could feel the intensity of emotions melting off the pages. I truly felt for Aaron and the experiences he was going through as his character developed on his grieving journey. 

Come With Me was an incredible supernatural mystery. It was eerie, spooky, and emotional. It has definitely made its way into my top 10 this year! 

"I figure the end of the world just ripped off humanity's mask, and now the true face of mankind is out there grinning like a mad skull in the moonlight." 

Coburn has woken up from a five year slumber to find himself in a zombie apocalypse. He is a vampire. He's hungry, nocturnal, and pissed off. He needs blood, but theirs won't do. He must find human survivors and protect his food supply. 

I forgot how much I love Wendig's writing. I was immediately sucked in from the very first chapter. I felt like I couldn't turn the pages quick enough as I found myself fully invested in how one vampire was going to survive in a world of zombies. This book was bloody, action-packed, crude, and hilarious. 

Coburn was an asshole you either come to love or hate. I, for one, loved him. He had a vulgar personality and every word out of his mouth was an insult or sarcastic remark (it me 💁🏾‍♀️). His character developed so well as he met a group of humans who were wary of traveling with him, but struck a deal - they would supply him with blood as long as he protected them along their journey. The way he acted like a dick to them, but deep down, started caring for them was endearing. 

This isn't your typical vampire story, but I recommend this book to everyone who would love an action-packed apocalyptic vampire vs. zombies story full of crude humour.