TL;DR: What a WIERD book… in the best way. Source: NetGalley, thank you so much to the publisher! Plot: A dating app for corpses and humans (and this isn’t paranormal). Characters: Very flawed but felt real in that way. Setting: Definitely not the focus of this one. Horror: This is the type of horror that’s... Continue Reading →
On Sundays She Picked Flowers by Yah-Yah Scholfield
TL;DR: Fantastic exploration of breaking generational trauma. Source: NetGalley, thank you so much to the publisher! Plot: Judith has to flee and come to grips with her own life and her history. Characters: Flawed and fantastic, I enjoyed everyone here. Setting: This was dark, gothic, moving, and horrifying in equal measure. Horror: The body and... Continue Reading →
The Possession of Alba Diaz by Isabel Cañas
TL;DR: A book in halves for me. Half I loved, half I didn’t. Source: NetGalley, thank you so much to the publisher! Plot: Alba tricks her way into an engagement and then finds herself possessed at a mine. Characters: I really enjoyed everyone here. Setting: A lovely setting but I kind of wish we had... Continue Reading →
The Library at Hellebore by Cassandra Khaw
TL;DR: Absolutely loved the idea but this needed so much more meat on it's bones. Source: NetGalley, thank you so much to the publisher! Plot: Take a twisted magical school and put a bunch of very unhinged characters inside. Fun times follow. Characters: They had a lot of potential for me! But ultimately we didn’t... Continue Reading →
Herculine by Grace Byron
TL;DR: This writing style just didn’t work for me, it was exhausting. Source: NetGalley - Thank you to the publisher!! Plot: Our narrator gets trapped in a cult, demons abound! Characters: A bit of a mess to be honest. We’re so trapped in our narrator that no one felt real. Setting: The cult’s headquarters felt... Continue Reading →
You Weren’t Meant To Be Human by Andrew Joseph White
TL;DR: Really… what and wow? Source: NetGalley - Thank you to the publisher!! Plot: A transman finds himself pregnant and at the mercy of a worm cult… it was intense. Characters: A mess. All of them.Setting: Dark and atmospheric, it felt somewhat true to the location though I wish we had more. Horror: This checks... Continue Reading →
The Man With No Shadow (How to Survive Camping) by Bonnie Quinn
TL;DR: A fantastic cozy, dark horror. Source: NetGalley - Thank you to the publisher!! Plot: Kate has to manage a supernaturally infested campground and keep her job when the town gets turned against her. Characters: Fun but not the strongest. Setting: This was very fun and I hope we get more in the campground in... Continue Reading →
Girl Dinner by Olivie Blake
TL;DR: I’m not sure that this went as far as it could have. Source: Netgalley - Thank you so much to the publisher! Plot: A young woman joins a sorority with secrets while a professor is caught in the mix. Characters: Absolutely no one here is a good person. It’s interesting, I’ll give it that.... Continue Reading →
Night & Day: Dreadful Dark: Tales of Nighttime Horror/Merciless Sun: Tales of Daylight Horror (Saga Doubles) Edited by Ellen Datlow
TL;DR: A very fun idea for an anthology and a great execution. Source: NetGalley - Thank you to the publisher!! Plot: Various plots, but almost all of these were well structured and thought out. Characters: I liked a ton of these characters, I can’t think of one I didn’t enjoy to be honest. Setting: There... Continue Reading →
The Autumn Springs Retirement Home Massacre by Philip Fracassi
TL;DR: A unique premise with an engaging and fun execution. Source: Netgalley - Thank you so much to Tor Nightfire! Plot: Deaths begin to stack up at the Autumn Springs Retirement and residents become suspicious. Characters: I loved these characters, Philip Fracassi knocked this folks out of the park. Setting: The grounds of the retirement... Continue Reading →