Tag: horror

Book Review & Author Interview: Frost Bite by Angela Sylvaine

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The creatures peered at her with beady eyes, lips curling to bare tiny teeth in an expression more suited to a rabid dog.

PLOT SUMMARY:

Remember the ’90s? Well…the town of Demise, North Dakota doesn’t, and they’re living in the year 1997. That’s because an alien worm hitched a ride on a comet, crash landed in the town’s trailer park, and is now infecting animals with a memory-loss-inducing bite–and right before Christmas! Now it’s up to nineteen-year-old Realene and her best friend Nate to stop the spread and defeat the worms before the entire town loses its mind. The only things standing in the way are their troubled pasts, a doomsday cult, and an army of infected prairie dogs.

GRADE: A

REVIEW:

I’ve always been a fan of Angela’s short stories as she’s appeared in two of my Women in Horror Anthologies (My American Nightmare with The Ballad of Sorrow and Lila and Strange Girls with Night Terrors), so when I had a chance to read her debut novel I was thrilled. Frost Bite is a fun, entertaining read that follows protagonist Realene as an alien parasite invades her small town ala The Faculty.

There were many fun action-packed scenes that I thoroughly enjoyed and I really loved the emotional highs and lows I got from reading this novel. Personally, I thought the crazed prairie dogs to be quite amusing (I’ve never seen them before so I totally had to Google them and they’re the cutest animals ever).

This very much reads like a 90s horror book but with a nostalgic twist. Anyone who has lived during the 90s will get a kick out of all the references, not to mention be reminded of some things we may have forgotten about. It was really bittersweet in that respect. I also loved that this book reminded me of the 80s film The Curse (also dealing with a meteor falling in a small town with devastating consequences for everyone who lived there).

I recommend this book to anyone who likes horror with a sci-fi alien with a dash of cults and loves snowy, cold settings.

*Thank you so much to Nightworms & the author for the digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

Short Q & A with Author

Was there a specific reason why you chose to set your book in the 90’s?

I grew up in the ’80s and ‘90s, and I was the same age as the main character around the late ‘90s, so it was the most obvious choice since I had specific memories of that time. Maybe I’m lazy? LOL. It was also just really fun to set it then, because it allowed me to reconnect with a lot of the pop culture I experienced and loved. I had a fantastic time researching events, movies, music, and food and figuring out how to thread references throughout the book to give a strong sense of time and place. 

Your book has been really popular. Did you think it would’ve resonated with so many people and how does it feel?

I certainly hoped it would be popular but didn’t necessarily expect it. It felt really incredible to know this story and these characters resonated with people, especially since it’s kind of a silly premise. Ultimately, I wanted people to have fun reading it, but I’m really happy people have connected with the heart behind the story, too (I often get messages about Realene’s relationship with her mom, who had dementia, and how meaningful that was to readers). 

What can we expect from the sequel? 

As those who read book 1 know, there is a bit of a cliff hanger:) Alien worms aren’t so easy to kill, and Realene and Nate will have to step up again, though they are now battling the grief and trauma from the events in book 1. The book takes place during Spring Break, but not in Florida or Cancun. We’ll be venturing up to beautiful Canada!

The meteor in the novel is very reminiscent of the one from the movie The Curse (1987). Have you ever watched that movie?

I do remember that movie, but it has been so long since I have seen it! This is the first time that has been mentioned as a comp, but it is so spot on. I am totally going to rewatch it!

What are you currently working on? 

I just finished my debut short story collection, The Dead Spot: Stories of Lost Girls, which will be released May 21st. It’s a collection on seventeen stories of girls and women lost to obsession, manipulation, and the darkness in the world around them, and I’m very proud of it. It’s got a much darker tone than Frost Bite but still has a little sweetness. I also just finished expanding my novella Chopping Spree, which will be rereleased in September. It’s a mall slasher with a cult-y twist that is currently out of print, and this new version is an extended cut (LOL) with a new cover that I can’t wait to show off!

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Book Review: Cranberry Cove by Hailey Piper

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A hotel haunted by an unseen presence, and even the insects somehow knew to keep away.

PLOT SUMMARY:

What’s been happening at Cranberry Cove? It’s unspeakable. It’s unspoken.

Emberly Hale is about to take a dark journey inside the derelict hotel—and inside her own past—to find out the horrible truth.

GRADE: A-

REVIEW:

This novella started off in complete medias res, meaning that for the first few pages, it felt like we the readers were dropped off in the middle of something and had to figure out what exactly was going on. I really loved Emberly a lot and Piper has this way of taking rehashed tropes and injecting new life into them with a unique spin. I always love haunted hotels so I was thrilled to read this. The way Piper described the hauntings in this novella was chilling especially when you find out what exactly is doing the haunting. The novella was filled with tension and you couldn’t help but be on the edge of your seat as you tried to figure out the mystery of Cranberry Cove along with Emberly. I don’t know if Piper will bring Emberly back for a sequel (but I totally feel like this novella deserves one!) because there are so many more things one could explore.

I recommend this book for those who love ghosts and hauntings but are told in a new and fresh way.

*Thank you so much to Nightworms & the author for the digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

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Book Review: This Delicious Death by Kayla Cottingham

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It’s a girl eat girl world.

PLOT SUMMARY:

Two years ago, a small percentage of population underwent a transformation known as the Hollowing. Those affected were only able to survive by consuming human flesh. The people who went without quickly became feral, turning on their friends and family. Luckily, scientists were able to create a synthetic version of human meat that would satisfy their hunger. As a result, humanity slowly began to return to normal.

Cut to Zoey, Celeste, Valeria, and Jasmine, four hollow girls living in Southern California. As a last hurrah before graduation they decide to attend a musical festival in the heart of the desert. They have a cooler filled with seltzer, vodka, and Synflesh… and are ready to party. 

But on the first night of the festival Val goes feral and ends up killing and eating a boy in one of the bands. As other festival guests start disappearing around them the girls soon discover someone is targeting people like them. And if they can’t figure out how to stop it, and soon, no one at the festival is getting out alive.

GRADE: A-

REVIEW:

This book explored a new take on zombies (or like this author and George A. Romero like to refer to them as ghouls). The group of friends in this novel are all ghouls and survived the ordeal of the Hallowing (when the whole world became infected by the ghoul disease) until scientists were able to figure out how to get ghouls back to being human if they were provided with human flesh (so the ghouls in this book devour a government approved SynFlesh a synthetic spin on human flesh). When this group of friends decides to go to a music fest in the Mojave Desert much like Coachella, they find themselves having to deal with some ghouls having gone rogue and having a buffet of humans at this overpopulated music festival. This was a fun book and I liked the Sapphic undertones, the gory horror scenes, and the friendship group. If you’re looking for a YA book with a new twist on the zombie virus, then you’ll find this one fitting!

*Thank you so much to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Fire for the digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

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Book Review: Static Screams by Nico Bell

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I’m going to die.

PLOT SUMMARY:

Carmen Franco’s untethered mind twists reality into a nightmare filled with relentless hallucinations.

Her greatest desire is a peaceful life, but despite countless doctors and swallowing a pharmacy’s worth of pills, she can’t escape her disturbing delusions brought forth from a past tragedy.

Enter Dr. Barbara MacDonald, a brilliant psychologist proposing an innovative and experimental treatment program. Barbara ignites a flicker of hope, but Carmen quickly realizes the doctor’s motives aren’t exactly pure. Carmen holds the key to the one thing Barbara covets most in the world, and the determined psychologist intends to obtain it by any means necessary.

Now, Carmen races against the clock to save herself as madness and deception converge. Will she unravel Barbara’s menacing motives before time runs out or will Carmen fall prey to the dark abyss pulling her in?

GRADE: A

REVIEW:

I love it when horror books can blend sci-fi elements so seamlessly. I often get turned off by plain sci-fi because sometimes it gets too technical, but I love it when it’s fused with paranormal elements and this was done so masterfully. Carmen has scary hallucinations and the plot supercharges the moment Dr. MacDonald enters the scene. This novella was reminiscent of Stephen King’s Carrie and Firestarter in some ways, and I really liked that a lot. If you enjoy grief horror, this book will be right up your alley. I don’t want to talk too much about the plot because I don’t want to inadvertently spoil the fun for a reader. But I totally recommend this book if you’re a fan of twisty endings and love a superb mashup of horror and sci-fi with a female-driven cast. Bell always manages to infuse a new slant on familiar tropes and upends them in very distinct and remarkable ways.

*Thank you so much to the author for the physical copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

GET YOUR COPY HERE!!!!

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Spotlight: What Grows in the Dark by Jaq Evans

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The Babadook meets The Blair Witch Project in this chilling contemporary horror novel about confronting trauma. When fake spiritualist Brigit returns home to investigate the disappearance of two teenagers, the case eerily echoes her own sister’s death sixteen years earlier.

This chilling tale of siblings, the emotional toll of the places you once called home, and the necessity of confronting and moving beyond past trauma brings together the psychological horror of The Babadook with the found footage and supernatural eeriness of The Blair Witch Project.

Brigit Weylan’s older sister, Emma, is dead. Sixteen years ago, Emma walked into the woods in their small hometown of Ellis Creek and slit her wrists. She was troubled, people said—moody and erratic in the weeks leading up to her death, convinced that there was a monster in Ellis Creek, and had even attempted to burn down the copse of trees where she later took her life. Marked by the tragedy, Brigit left and never once looked back. Now, Brigit and her cameraman Ian travel around the country, investigating paranormal activity (and faking the results), posting their escapades on YouTube in the hopes that a network will pick up their show. The last thing she expects is a call from an Ellis Creek area code with a job offer—and payout—the two cannot refuse.

When Brigit and Ian arrive in Ellis Creek, they’re thrust in the middle of an investigation: two teenagers are missing, and the trail is growing colder with each passing day. It’s immediately apparent that Brigit and Ian are out of their depth; their talents lie in faking hauntings, not locating lost kids. Except for the fact that, in the weeks leading up to their disappearance, the teens had been dreaming about Emma—Emma in the woods where she died, ringed with trees and waiting for them. As Brigit and Ian are drawn further into the investigation, convinced that this could be the big case to make their show go viral, the parallels to Emma’s death become undeniable. But Brigit is worried she’s gone too far this time, and that the weight of being back in Ellis Creek, overwhelmed by memories of Emma, will break her…if it hasn’t already. Because Brigit can’t explain what’s happening to her: trees appearing in her bedroom in the middle of the night, something with a very familiar laugh watching her out in the darkness, and Emma’s voice on her phone, reminding Brigit to finish what they started.

More and more, it looks like Emma was right: there is a monster in Ellis Creek, and it’s waited a long time for Brigit Weylan to come home.

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Book Review: Looking Glass Sound by Catriona Ward

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The human heart is deep and dark with many chambers. Things hide down there.

PLOT SUMMARY:

In a cottage overlooking the windswept Maine coast, Wilder Harlow has begun the last book he will ever write.

It is the story about the sun-drenched summer days of his youth in Whistler Bay, and the blood-stained path of the killer that stalked his small vacation town. About the terrible secret he and his companions, Nat and Harper, discovered entombed in the coves off the bay. And how the pact they swore that day echoed down the decades, forever shaping their lives.

But the more Wilder writes, the less he trusts himself and his memory. He starts to see things that can’t be real – notes hidden in the cabin, from an old friend now dead; a woman with dark hair drowning in the icy waters below, calling for help; entire chapters he doesn’t recall typing, appearing overnight. Who, or what, is haunting Wilder?

No longer able to trust his own eyes, Wilder begins to fear that this will not only be his last book, but the last thing he ever does.

GRADE: A

REVIEW:

This novel is absolutely twisty and I love it! I don’t want to delve too much into the plot because I don’t want to spoil the fun for anyone else. But the novel begins with Wilder, who goes to spend a summer in his dead uncle’s home with his parents and there he meets two other teens his age, Harper and Nathaniel. They become instant friends and vow to see each other every summer thereafter. But their lives become upended when a man known as “The Dagger Man” is finally discovered by the police, in ways that the group of friends never thought possible.

I’ve read previous Ward novels and I’ve loved them all. I rushed through this novel in two days, unable to put it down – I had to know what was going on! If you love coming of age, mysteries, and twists upon twists, then this novel is for you!

*Thank you so much to NetGalley and Tor Nightfire for the digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

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Book Review: Gorgeous Gruesome Faces by Linda Cheng

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You’ll love them to death.

PLOT SUMMARY:

THEN:

Sunny Lee is on the top of the world. She’s one third of Sweet Cadence, the hottest up-and-coming teen pop group, alongside her new BFFs, Candie and Mina. The three are inseparable as they ride their way to the top of the charts, even as Candie and Sunny fight to resist the growing spark between them. But when a shocking scandal breaks, the group is suddenly torn apart. Then the unthinkable – Mina dies tragically right before Sunny and Candie’s eyes. And Sunny suspects the dark and otherworldly secrets she and Candie were keeping may have had something to do with it . . .

NOW:

For the past two years, Sunny has spent her days longing for her former life and her nights wondering just what caused Mina’s death. So when she discovers that Candie is attending a new K-pop workshop right in her hometown, Sunny has no choice but to follow her there. Candie might be chasing stardom again, but Sunny is only after one thing: answers.

At the workshop, the lines between nightmare and reality start to blur as Sunny is haunted by ghostly visions and her competitors’ bodies turn up bizarrely maimed and mutilated. To survive the twisted carnage, Sunny will have to expose the ugly truth behind the workshop’s spotlights and the sinister forces swirling around Candie. Stitched with cutting commentary on the ugly side of stardom and impossible beauty standards, Linda Cheng’s mind-bending thriller will have readers screaming and swooning for more.

GRADE: A

REVIEW:

Wow! This was one wild ride. The prologue started off with a bang, it was mysterious, devastating and utterly hooked me into the story. I really loved the characters Sunny, Candie, and Mina. So even when it was a little slow, it wasn’t boring. I liked getting to know more about the K-pop music industry and what it takes to become a pop star. The book took some very crazy turns that I wasn’t expecting but that I absolutely loved. This was a mixture of horror and sapphic romance. This was a mixture of so many things: folklore, cults, celebrity worship, and beauty obsession. I couldn’t stop reading because I was so invested in finding out what was happening (so many twists and secrets!). For horror fans, some truly gruesome, unsettling scenes would make for a very twisted horror movie. I really enjoyed reading this book and loved the main character Sunny a lot, even though she wasn’t necessarily always good and sometimes made poor choices, but it’s what made her more human to me.

I recommend this book to those who love sapphic horror novels, and although it is marketed as a YA, I feel like it can be a fun read even for adults.

*Thank you so much to NetGalley and Roaring Book Press for the digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

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Book Review: The House of Last Resort by Christopher Golden

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She blinked in surprise, wondering if this too, was the voice of some ghost….

PLOT SUMMARY:

Across Italy, there are many half-empty towns, nearly abandoned by those who migrate to the coast or to cities. The beautiful, crumbling hilltop town of Becchina is among them, but its mayor has taken drastic measures to rebuild—selling abandoned homes to anyone in the world for a single Euro, as long as the buyer promises to live there for at least five years.

It’s a no-brainer for American couple Tommy and Kate Puglisi. Both work remotely, and Becchina is the home of Tommy’s grandparents, his closest living relatives. It feels like a romantic adventure, an opportunity the young couple would be crazy not to seize. But from the moment they move in, they both feel a shadow has fallen on them. Tommy’s grandmother is furious, even a little frightened, when she realizes which house they’ve bought.

There are rooms in an annex at the back of the house that they didn’t know were there. The place makes strange noises at night, locked doors are suddenly open, and when they go to a family gathering, they’re certain people are whispering about them, and about their house, which one neighbor refers to as The House of Last Resort. Soon, they learn that the home was owned for generations by the Church, but the real secret, and the true dread, is unlocked when they finally learn what the priests were doing in this house for all those long years…and how many people died in the strange chapel inside. While down in the catacombs beneath Becchina…something stirs.

GRADE: C-

REVIEW:

I was looking forward to reading this book as I was a huge fan of the author’s book The Road of Bones, although I must admit since this novel took place in Sicily (where I’m from) I was a bit hesitant as I didn’t enjoy the inaccuracies in Diavola (another horror book set in Italy). The premise of this novel is very intriguing, an American couple Tommy and Kate leave the United States for Sicily after they purchase one of those one euro homes with the promise of rebuilding the old home. But the couple doesn’t know that their home was owned by the Catholic church which would send their worse cases of demonic possession there.

Now, all that sounds very thrilling and scary. However, the execution wasn’t so. First of all, the couple Tommy and Kate are highly unlikable and entitled. They move to Sicily but instead of trying to befriend the local community, they’re only interested in becoming friends with other foreigners known as the imports and trying to convince their friends in the United States to leave Boston and follow them to a ghost town that doesn’t offer much in regards to economic growth or resources. Not to mention, that they suddenly decide the town has to pay to get their catacombs up to safety norms because they want to attract tourists to Becchina. This is highly improbable, as a dying town wouldn’t have the resources to do that. We never know what jobs these two people have that they can easily work from home, but for them to think that their friends could easily move across the globe just to keep them company is absurd.

Another con is that so much of this book is telling. Not much actually happens in the book until the very end. Not to mention that the author thinks Sicily is like California having earthquakes every three seconds (this isn’t true, yes Sicily gets earthquakes but they’re rare and when they do occur they’re bad). I do give the author props for having done some research in regards to how Sicilians are and the typical foods they have, but anytime the author has Italian characters use Italian, the grammar is incorrect in some cases. Note to authors, if you or your editorial team cannot ensure that something in a foreign language is correct, maybe don’t use it.

This book might appeal to those who want to read horror taking place in other places other than the U.S. But if you’re looking for a genuine possession or haunted house story, this straddles both but ultimately doesn’t explore either very well.

*Thank you so much to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

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3 Horror Books that Explore Love

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With Valentine’s Day right around the corner, I wish to recommend three of my books that explore the theme of love.

TAINTED LOVE: Women in Horror Anthology

This is a collection of short stories by some very talented writers that explore all the themes of love gone wrong, whether it’s romantic love, sibling love, or friendships – there’s a story for everyone.

I WANT CANDY

Lollipop is in love with her classmate Stella Morris. But love for her is difficult as her family is a coven of witches that maintain themselves by making delicious gummy candies using a very particular ingredient (not for the squeamish).

GIRL THAT YOU FEAR

When Spencer Torres becomes possessed by Dever, her life as she knows it upends. But it’s difficult for her to wish to get rid of the demon when he’s cunning, alluring, and the only one who wants to truly help her find out what happened to her last summer.

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Book Review: Thirst by Marina Yuszczuk

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She was lying in the shadows….

PLOT SUMMARY:

It is the twilight of Europe’s bloody bacchanals, of murder and feasting without end. In the nineteenth century, a vampire arrives from Europe to the coast of Buenos Aires and, for the second time in her life, watches as villages transform into a cosmopolitan city, one that will soon be ravaged by yellow fever. She must adapt, intermingle with humans, and be discreet.

In present-day Buenos Aires, a woman finds herself at an impasse as she grapples with her mother’s terminal illness and her own relationship with motherhood. When she first encounters the vampire in a cemetery, something ignites within the two women—and they cross a threshold from which there’s no turning back.

GRADE: A-

REVIEW:

This novel is set up in two portions. In the first half, we follow a vampire (whose name we truly never know, apart from the one she uses for a brief while – Maria) and see her journey from the old world to the new (specifically Buenos Aires). I enjoyed reading about the vampire and how she tried to survive in an ever-changing and evolving world, one that she didn’t really understand or get accustomed to.

The second half of the novel takes place in present time Buenos Aires and it’s about a woman, Alma, who has to deal with the grief of her mother’s sickness and the dissolution of her marriage. Obviously, at one point the protagonist of the second portion of the book comes in contact with the vampire from the first half of the novel.

This novel was well written but it was marketed as a literary vampire romance, and well, I’m not sure if that’s entirely accurate because the romance part comes so very late in the novel, and when it does it rushes full speed. I guess I was expecting more of a slow burn (or at least it occurred earlier in the book).

Overall, I did enjoy the book and enjoyed the vampire character a lot. But if you’re looking for a romantic vampire book I’m not sure if this one exactly fits the bill as one might expect. If you wish to read a character study about a vampire and a woman dealing with grief, then this will be up your alley.

*Thank you so much to NetGalley and Dutton (Penguin Books) for the digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

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