Horror – Author Gail Marie

Book Review – Bone Music (Burning Girl 1) by Christopher Rice

Checked out with kindle unlimited, June 2023. This was billed as a thriller, but I think that set me up for failure with this story. As my first book by Christopher Rice, I was excited to delve into a world of serial killers but that’s not what we got. The pace was snail slow, but I kept plodding along hoping that the ending would make up for it. It didn’t. I felt for the female MC, Charolette, since she had a traumatic past, but I didn’t really connect with her as a person. I didn’t really connect with any of the characters except for Marty. There was an attempt at a small romantic arc between Charolette and our male MC, Luke, but it felt more like an afterthought than part of the plot. I was also disappointed that Charolette’s super strength came from a drug manufactured by a drug company. Many of these aspects could have been handled a lot better but fell flat. I won’t be reading book 2. (2/5 rating)

GoodReads

Book Review – What Moves the Dead by T. Kingfisher

What Moves the Dead is Kingfisher’s retelling of Edgar Allan Poe’s classic “The Fall of the House of Usher.” I’m continually amazed at how much Kingfisher can pack into her smaller word count stories. The last horror I read from her left me more unnerved than scared but this one hit the mark with utmost precision. I relished everything about this book. The sticky atmosphere and cloying Usher House left me with goose bumps at several points. I loved the narrator, Alex Easton, and retired soldier. It was interesting to watch his no-nonsense demeanor be completely rewritten between these pages as he encounters various aspects up the unknown. I feel like this was a great tribute to Poe without trying to become him. Since trying House of Hunger last year, I have discovered I enjoy gothic storylines and added many to my TBR last year. I recommend this to anyone on the fence about giving it a try. (4/5 rating)

Book Review – Girl of Nightmares (Anna 2) by Kendare Blake

In the series finale, our protagonist, ghost hunter Cas Lowood, is trying to move on after Anna Dressed in Blood sacrificed herself for him. After Anna begins to show up in his nightmares and haunting him by day, he realizes something is very wrong with Anna’s disappearance into hell. He will stop at nothing to find a way to save her. Cas continued to be an enigmatic character and quickly became one of my favorite characters. I was grateful Anna got some semblance of a happy ending. The atmosphere continued to be suspenseful and f I felt like the pace was quicker this time. I really loved the different types of witch magic and how the voodoo was portrayed. The ending was chaos but it’s fitting for this Halloween read of mine for them to have to go to hell. (4/5 rating)

Book Review – Run & Hide (Myths & Monsters 1) by Beatrix Hollow

I’d be lying if I said I didn’t pick this out for its cover. Ava is the daughter of a famous ghost hunting family but terrified of taking over the family business. She sets out on a cross country photography trip with her childhood friend, Caspian, to escape her family’s grasp. Only to find the family business catch up with them all too soon. I’m grateful I checked this out with Kindle membership first since I had several issues with this story. I liked the first half, but the second half careened into a mess. Ava frustrated me at several turns, including her inconsistencies between Caspian and Mothman interactions. For someone from a paranormal family, I’m not sure I feel like her running from Caspian was a real response, among others: she ran way a lot. Ava ruined a lot of this for me, with dumb decision after dumb decision. I enjoyed the horror aspects of the story, and I did like Caspian as a water shapeshifter character. The Mothman was as inconsistent as Ava, at least with the portion of the plot he was in. I felt like this had potential, but this just wasn’t for me. (2/5 rating)

Book Review – House of Hunger by Alexis Henderson

After a childhood of growing up in the slums, Marion Shaw is drawn to an advertisement in the paper for a blood maiden position. Within the confines of her southern city Prane, all she knows is blood maidens work in the north and make elite levels of money after their bleeding tenure. Days after her blood is tested, she finds herself in service to the infamous Countess Lisavet who rules the House of Hunger. This was my first by Alexis Henderson. This was the epitome of a gothic tale set with a dark foreboding atmosphere, lies, betrayal, and murder. I loved Marion in her quest for truth that forces her to become Lisavet’s direct target. The ending was a twisted mess. It would appear I need to give Henderson’s, Year of the Witching a try sometime soon. (3/5 rating)

Book Review – Dark of Winter (Wild Haven 1) by Lizzy Prince

Checked out with Kindle Unlimited in July 2022. I chose this urban fantasy based in Maine as my first series by Lizzy Prince. I’m grateful I gave this lower review count a try, because I fell in love with Prince’s writing style and the Fae story that gripped the area and characters. Each book in this series follows a different couple from the island. Miri Wild is the female main character who returns to her family’s ancestral home within Wild Haven. Davis is our male main character who grew up on the island. I enjoyed watching them find each other and fight off the incoming darkness together. I’m obsessively hooked so I’ll likely be adding many of her books to my permanent collection. (4/5 rating)

Book Review – The Dawnhounds (Haven Realm Chronicles 1) by Sascha Stronach

This was my first book by Sascha Stronach, and I received this copy for free for an honest review. This story follows Yat Jyn-Hok as she performs her duties of a local policeman. She has been demoted to the night shift for the knowledge that she is gay. After she is murdered by members of her own police force, her body is resurrected, and she must wade through the tangents of old ancient magic and new betrayals. This was a cerebral read with high tech magic machines, intricate magic system, and a twisted plot of corruption that not everyone will enjoy. It was fun to learn the world’s layered history and politics through Yat’s eyes. I liked her supporting characters and the pirate angle of the story. If you decide to give this a try, just be warned that it will require more mental effort than usual on your part. (3/5 rating)

Book Review – NOS4A2 by Joe Hill

This will be my first by Joe Hill and the spirit up Halloween seemed like the best time to dust this off my TBR. Now that I’ve read it, it appears I should have saved this for Christmas time. Charles Manx is our resident bad boy and spends his time luring children into his version of Christmasland. Within Christmasland, Charles transforms the children into his terrifying version of the perfect child. The only child to ever escape his clutches is Victoria McQueen. After she is grown, Charles comes looking for Vic, one final time. Even though this was almost 1000 pages, the pace of the plot moved at a gruesome pace. The plot covered decades between characters and places but that didn’t detract from the story either. It was great to watch Vic and Charles battle to the end. I didn’t expect the sad and clever ending, but it did fit. (3/5 rating)

Book Review – The Twisted Ones by T. Kingfisher

This story covers Mouse as she removes the belongings from her deceased grandmother’s house. The remaining clutter points to a terrifying cult that reside in the surrounding woods of North Carolina. Mouse doesn’t believe it’s true until she meets them herself. Kingfisher struck again with this one. I loved Mouse and her dedication to her dog, Bongo. She set the stage with a desperate and intense atmosphere and the plot build up to the ending was everything a horror book aspires to become. If you’re on the edge about reading this, I recommend you try this. (4/5 rating)

Book Review – The Luminous Dead by Caitlin Starling

This was my first book by Caitlin Starling and September was the perfect time to remove it from my TBR. Our female MC, Gyre Price, is an amateur climber who lies about her abilities to obtain a climbing contract that could help her escape her planet. When she arrives, it’s to determine that all the help she assumed she’d have is boiled down to one person, Em. Em keeps an eye on her from the surface, but little things about her story don’t add up as they descend. I have climbing experience and Starling did excellent research into all the needed pieces to accurately describe the caving experience. She also enveloped us in a complex world of cave details like flooding and poisonous vegetation. I liked the interplay between Em and Gyre as they accomplish Em’s goal. The ending was a surprise, but I felt like the story could have been a bit shorter with the same result, though that is just my opinion. (3/5 rating)