Another book inhaled in nearly one sitting and it was oh so good.
An inherited Victorian home complete with elusive housekeeper, a handsome and mysterAnother book inhaled in nearly one sitting and it was oh so good.
An inherited Victorian home complete with elusive housekeeper, a handsome and mysterious neighbor who makes you herbal tonics to get the artistic juices flowing, and your young daughter suddenly developing a relationship with a new imaginary friend... uhm, yeah, you better run, bitch!
But of course, you don't. Because if you did, there would be no book. You do what normal people would do and rationalize the weird things away, quite easily at first - the stress of the recent breakup with your baby daddy, and the move, and being out here in the woods, alone, must be messing with your mind - until things just start stacking up, slowly at first, sure, and then all of a sudden, quite quickly, and then who are you kidding, now it's too late, and man you should have ran when you had the chance!
Obviously that's an oversimplification of Castrodale's The Inhabitants. There's so much more to this book and rather than trying to write it all out, what I will say is that if this isn't already on your to-buy list, if it's flown under your radar up to this point, you've got no excuse now. Be prepared to get your hands on it, and let it work its slow burning, atmospheric, keep you guessing till the end, badass magic on you!
If you peel back the many layers, at its core, I believe The Inhabitants is really a story about the incredible bond that exists between a mother and her child, the impact grief and trauma can have on us, and the power of the past when you fail to exhume your ghosts properly.
Holy gross, batman. I read it in one sitting because I was certain if I put it down, I wouldn't be able to stomach picking it back up again.
A revengeHoly gross, batman. I read it in one sitting because I was certain if I put it down, I wouldn't be able to stomach picking it back up again.
A revenge curse, that became more than the creator had initially anticipated, is passed from person to person through sex, like a super infectious chain letter (where my Gen Xers at?!). To undo what was done to you, you must do it to someone else, and FAST. You are running out of time, biatches!
The body horror in this one was so nasty I almost vomited in my mouth. I promise you won't look at sex the same after this one.
I stumbled across this book through a re-tweet from the author announcing its release. Whoever says posting to Twitter isn't effective is dead wrong. I stumbled across this book through a re-tweet from the author announcing its release. Whoever says posting to Twitter isn't effective is dead wrong. I am positive I would not have had AL Davidson's book hit my radar otherwise. And I'm really glad it did.
It's a queer space rom-horror that intertwines alien and fungal terror for a ridiculously captivating read. Yes, maybe I'm coining a new sub-genre term. Just go with it, yeah? And hellooo... do you see that cover?
London and Temple have been apart more than they've been together since they started working with the Zeus Project. London's compromised health keeps them locked away in a remote outpost while they perform autopsies on deceased crewmembers who've suffered strange and worrying deaths, while Temple is captain of a team that's been sent to a distant planet to begin terraform procedures. In addition to their health issues, London is also suffering from anxiety, depression, and may be starting to go a little crazy... doors they know they've locked are starting to open on their own, they swear they hear movement and whispers in the lower level of the outpost, and the bodies that are being sent to them, which are without a doubt very dead, also appear to be somewhat alive, even though London knows that can't be possible.
This one is a bit of a slow burn, with a higher focus on the relationship between London and Temple, but once the weirdness starts up, the book gets kicked into high gear. It's an emotional, slightly gory, terror filled journey out amongst the stars.......more
Hollywood hopeful but make it horror. That's the best way to describe Danger Slater's latest novella Starlet. It's like an Alice in Wonderland versionHollywood hopeful but make it horror. That's the best way to describe Danger Slater's latest novella Starlet. It's like an Alice in Wonderland version of the #metoo era in which an aging A lister preys on young up and coming talent in LA... but in a way that's totally disgusting and introduces a unique spin on the kind of violence that takes place behind closed mansion doors.
It's been so cool watching Danger grow and develop as a writer. I can tell he's having a lot of fun playing with traditional tropes and making them his own. There's a surprise around every corner and trust me, there's no predicting the places he's about to take you!
If you like your horror gory with a side of comedy, you need to get Starlet on your radar! ...more
I've read a few of Sarah's titles and really enjoyed them all so far. This one was a fun, fast, and quirky read about a twenty something named Mara whI've read a few of Sarah's titles and really enjoyed them all so far. This one was a fun, fast, and quirky read about a twenty something named Mara who takes an entry level overnight production assistant job on her cousin's haunted house reality tv show.
Taking the position gives her full behind-the-scenes access to what's real and what's not on these types of ghost haunting spin offs, and helps her to continue to avoid the bigger decisions she's been putting off, like what to do with the rest of her life. Even Jo, the mysterious floater girl who starts shadowing Mara out of the blue, makes digs about her lack of direction and passion.
Mara takes an immediate liking to Jo until, on a long weekend from work, she invites her to tag along to a family get together and Jo fits in with her extended family better than she does. Is it her imagination or does Jo do everything just a little better than she can? And is she losing it or does Jo even LOOK a little like her?
While not heavy on the horror, its definitely got some fun paranormal and ghosty stuff going on. A little cheeky, a lot of heart, and a really enjoyable afternoon read! If it's not hit your radar yet, you really should check it out!...more
Saw this one on netgalley and requested a copy because I really enjoyed his book Man, Fuck This House. And I'm so glad I did. What a fun spin on the gSaw this one on netgalley and requested a copy because I really enjoyed his book Man, Fuck This House. And I'm so glad I did. What a fun spin on the genre!
Delia is a werewolf, though not in the sense that we've been led to believe. She wasn't bit or turned. She has a genetic disorder that makes her susceptible to The Change. She isn't a slave to the full moon. But she does change on a regular cycle. She leads a normal life as a human for most of the year, but during those change cycles, she has little to no memory of how she spends the nights as her wolf-self. Forced out of fear, and a care for others, she broke away from home and connected with other lycanthropes who, like her, are also ostracized and misunderstood.
As the unofficial den mother, it becomes her responsibility to relocate the younger members of the clan when one of them breaks through the barrier of their isolated hunting grounds and kills a human. They move to a ghost town their clan's founder purchased for just this type of crisis. But as they settle in, Delia and the others discover they are not the only ones there. And the thing that is stalking them is ancient and out for revenge.
It's a creature feature slash found family horror novel with a whole lot of blood and gore and a ton of heart, one where the werewolves are actually the good guys, which made for a very unique reading experience. There's tons of character backstory (yes, even for the 'monster'), and a great boss scene towards the end that kept me at the edge of my seat!
If you liked Glen Duncan's The Last Werewolf, you will dig Good Dogs. Brian's focus on the human side of the change is very similar and just as touching. While they might not remember what they do each time they change, their non-wolf selves struggle with the guilt and shame of what they are unable to control.
That was the quickest 200 page book I've ever read! I inhaled it in one sitting, the words literally flying off the page. For a horror novel, it wasn'That was the quickest 200 page book I've ever read! I inhaled it in one sitting, the words literally flying off the page. For a horror novel, it wasn't nearly as dark as I had expected, but that didn't hurt the book in any way. I actually kind of liked the nonchalant approach Knútsdóttir took with it.
Our narrator Idunn is bone tired. She sleeps every night but isn't feeling rested, her arms and legs aching as though she worked out at a gym, which she wouldn't be caught dead doing. She's a bit of a self-diagnoser, and decides to go see a doctor to ensure she's not dying of some highly incurable disease. When everything comes back good, she convinces them to give her some sleeping pills, and in an effort to uphold her promise to be more active, purchases a smart watch to track her steps.
One morning, she realizes she forgot to take the watch off before going to bed and sees she's walked tens of thousands of miles when she thought she'd been sleeping. After continuing to wake with sore muscles and mysterious injuries, sometimes covered in blood that she knows is not hers night after night, her watch shows that she's been walking to the same spot, and she's not sure she wants to discover what it is that's out there...
We only know what Idunn knows, which isn't much. After her recent experiences with the health system, she's no longer in a rush to discover what's happening to her so we're left in the dark for most of the novel. And once the author finally shows her hand, we're still left scratching our heads a little. But I'm ok with that. A little "wait, wtf just happened" is totally good with me! I don't necessarily need books to be wrapped up in a nice little bow at the end. However, if you are a reader who does, beware... because you won't find that here....more
I had been waiting to get my hands on this one for quite a while and finally happened to catch a used copy being sold on PangoBooks! Fungal fiction foI had been waiting to get my hands on this one for quite a while and finally happened to catch a used copy being sold on PangoBooks! Fungal fiction for the win... again!
This book was worth the wait. In it, a group of men have been surviving in a remote area on their own after a plague kills off all of the women. One day, while visiting his mother's grave, Nathan discovers mushrooms blooming all over the graveyard, directly over the women's remains. After plucking one of the fruiting bodies to show the resident doctor, he somehow finds himself underground and face to face with a woman shaped fungal creature. After overcoming his initial fears, he makes his way back to camp, bringing the thing along, introducing it to the group as The Beauty.
What are these hybrid beings and are they as gentle as they seem? Nathan informs them that there are more where it came from, enough for each of them and the men find themselves both terrified and mystified by what comes next in this strange post-pandy world.
The book is grotesquely tender as it plays around with gender roles and body horror. I devoured it in practically one sitting and my only complaint is that it wasn't longer!
(this copy also included another novelette called Peace, Pipe which was also amazing, about someone who was kept in quarantine on spaceship, who befriends another lifeform when they realize they can hear each other through the wall that separates them. Oh my god it was sooo good Almost reminded me a bit of Project Hail Mary and the relationship Ryland and Rocky cultivated!!)...more
Aquatic horror for the win! And that cover.. I just knew I had to have it!
A whaling ship gets more than they bargain for when a barely-alive man spilAquatic horror for the win! And that cover.. I just knew I had to have it!
A whaling ship gets more than they bargain for when a barely-alive man spills out of the belly of their first kill. Under the captain's orders, the unconscious stranger is locked in the brig and crewmate Isiah is tasked with splitting his rations with the man until they can decide what to do with him.
Once the rescued man awakens, strange things begin to happen on board The Merciful and the crew starts to slowly descend into madness as they begin to show signs of mysterious and frightening illnesses. Though he cannot immediately prove it, Isiah knows this is not just a string of bad luck and believes the enigmatic man they locked away below deck is somehow behind it all, and if his dreams are anything to go by, he's terrified they won't survive long enough to make it back to port.
From the Belly is atmospheric and claustrophobic and at times downright brutal. This is not your run of the mill Geppetto story. This is a "what the hell did we bring onboard" story. And a "you can't outrun the horrors that await you" story. And it's sooo good you guys....more
I love when I'm pitched a book I hadn't previously heard about and it ends up being right up my alley!
These Things Linger is ghost horror. But it's aI love when I'm pitched a book I hadn't previously heard about and it ends up being right up my alley!
These Things Linger is ghost horror. But it's also grief horror. And supernatural horror. And small town horror. And oooh yaaassss... it's down-right unputdownable horror.
Alex was raised by his Uncle Matty. Some of his best memories were from time spent fishing and shooting with him. One evening, after his uncle hits him in the face with a beer bottle, Alex breaks ties with man and moves away to carve out a life of his own. Years later, engaged with a baby on the way, his Uncle Matty unexpectedly dies. Alex receives notice that he's inherited the trailer he grew up in and feels compelled to make peace. He drives out to the place, unhitches the beat up old boat and takes it out for one last trip to the middle of the lake. In a moment of pure grief, he summons his dead uncle and brings something much darker and a helluva lot more dangerous across with him.
At its core, These Things Linger is a story of love, loss, desperation, forgiveness, and survival. But it's also much more than that. It's a horror novel with heart and carries quite a few gut punches that will linger with you long after the book ends.
So glad this one ended up in my hands. A must read for horror fans!
More grief fiction for the win and this one gets all the stars!
Joseph's suffered a lot of loss in his life. His mother's recent passing, an absent faMore grief fiction for the win and this one gets all the stars!
Joseph's suffered a lot of loss in his life. His mother's recent passing, an absent father, a stillborn son that resulted in a failed relationship, and a fresh divorce. While he and his half brother Oscar sort through their mother's belongings, he comes across a letter from his father that prompts them to book a trip to Nahanni in an effort to get some closure from the things that haunt them most.
Gillian, Joseph's ex girlfriend, invites herself along on this strange and impromptu journey into the mysterious national park, best known for rumors of giants and prehistoric creatures hidden in its forests. Within hours of arrival, they can feel something is extremely off about the place, and things only get odder for the threesome the deeper into the park they travel.
Think Jeff Vandermeer's Southern Reach Trilogy (Tetralogy?!) and you'll have an idea of what our intrepid adventurers are about to uncover in this vast and liminal space. Equal parts psychological terror and cosmic horror, it's incredibly atmospheric and LP just continued to crank up the weirdness, relentlessly testing our characters perception of reality, and I was there for every second of it....more
I think it's time to create a takes-place-in-outer-space shelf here. I've been reading more and more space fiction over the years and the genre definiI think it's time to create a takes-place-in-outer-space shelf here. I've been reading more and more space fiction over the years and the genre definitely deserves it.
This was a book I was keeping an eye out for and when I noticed it was pretty cheap on kindle, I snagged it. And then once I had it, I couldn't wait to read it, LOL.
It's the 2700's and Jay is a digital clone of himself, awakened from rest and thrust into a humanoid-ish body called a HUSK by the owner of transport spaceship that's gone dark. He's chosen Jay specifically for his previous work as a detective way back in his original life on Earth, and is paying Jay to board his ship and determine why it fell off the grid.
When Jay enters the ship, he discovers dried black ooze everywhere and the dead bodies he locates are also covered in the stuff. Even more disturbing, during his search of the cargo hold, he finds the sole surviving crew member. She's leaking the viscous fluids from her eyes, nose, and mouth, already on the edge of death and not talking any sense, and worse yet, in there with them is the thing that's laid claim to the ship.
From there, it's a race against time - Jay has only so many hours of oxygen in his tanks, and now he's being hunted by an alien lifeform that is somehow causing the entire ship, inside and out, to become overgrown with strange and pollenating plant life. Can he escape the claws of the monster he's trapped in there with? Does he have what it takes to survive? Or will he withdraw too deeply into the memories he's not supposed to have retained that appear to be triggered by the dust of the inky dried goop...?
What a great little eco horror space novel! Even with the obvious foreshadowing throughout, I didn't fully figure out the ending until the jaw dropping reveal. The only complaint I have revolves around my inability to clearly picture some of what was going on. The descriptions didn't always work for me and I struggled to visualize what Jay was looking at or experiencing within the confines of the ship.
oh man I really wanted to like this one. My gut was telling me to DNF it over and over again and I kept ignoring it, hoping it would get better, but noh man I really wanted to like this one. My gut was telling me to DNF it over and over again and I kept ignoring it, hoping it would get better, but nope. It didn't. And that really sucks because, in theory, it had the potential to be really good...
It's part eco horror, part oceanic horror, part cosmic horror, part social horror. and part pandy fiction, so at face value it has all the ingredients of something I would love but it just couldn't seem to pull it off.
An oyster farm is the site of the snail bite that sets the whole thing off - a woman gets bit, if bit is the right word, and she basically becomes comatose while more and more of the things crawl on and into her. Her boss attempts to save her and gets bit as well. She vanishes into the water while he becomes something else entirely. Like a patient zero or super boss kind of thing. And then within no time, it spreads to the townspeople who begin deading... seizing, foaming at the mouth, falling down dead on to the ground, only to stand back up a few minutes later and go back to their lives as if nothing happened. The sea town is quickly quarantined by the government, who begin to monitor them with drones, and the residents begin breaking themselves off into two groups - those who dead, now referred to as Risers, and those who don't, the uninfected. And those who don't... are beginning to fear for their lives.
Sounds so good right?! God I wish it was. It meandered a lot, there were whole entire sections that focused on birding (I mean, the cover, which is gorgeous btw, even has one on it) but it felt very loose and disconnected and didn't spend a lot of time on the actual deading. What caused it? Where did the virus, if it is a virus, come from? Why do those who are infected keep deading and rising? Where do they "go" when they die each time? Why doesn't the government actually go in and test or check on them? Why... why... why???
Sigh.
For the social horror part, think Jose Saramago's Blindness and Seeing but not nearly as good....more
Aw man, what is it with me and the horror books I've been reading lately? Either I am becoming totally numb and jaded to the genre or my expectations Aw man, what is it with me and the horror books I've been reading lately? Either I am becoming totally numb and jaded to the genre or my expectations are just set ridiculously high. Add this one to the #meh pile.
A retelling of Rapunzel but make it horror. Only... it's not that horrorifying. True, there is a witch in the woods and some creepy cat things. There are some kidnapped children. There's some hair eating and some cannibalism. All the ingredients of a really good scary story were there but something about the writing style just fell flat for me.
I felt like I was reading a book geared more towards a YA audience than adults. The gory parts weren't gory enough. The jump scares felt more like peek-a-boo scenes. There was no real dread or tension.
I know I will likely be in the minority here, and I'm ok with that. Looking forward to seeing what you think if you get your hands on this one!...more
I grabbed this one on a whim, having heard nothing about it previously. It's an incredibly short and unsettling read, clocking in at just over 100 pagI grabbed this one on a whim, having heard nothing about it previously. It's an incredibly short and unsettling read, clocking in at just over 100 pages. I found it to be more psychological horror and isolation fiction than full on horror but still...
A couple and their young daughter get an Airbnb out in the middle of nowhere. He's supposed to be working on the sequel to a hit screenplay, she's supposed to be enjoying the quiet time away. But the house seems to have other plans for them.
It's slow to start and super creepy towards the end. Easily digested in one sitting but man does it linger in your brain for much, more longer.
Similar themes and vibes to books like Leave the World Behind (the sparce writing style), House of Leaves (the way the house keeps changing), The Shining (the isolation and the niggling fear that you're losing your mind)...
AGA Wilmot puts an interesting spin on the haunted house genre in their forthcoming novel Withered. Be prepared, this one might pull on your... (ahem)AGA Wilmot puts an interesting spin on the haunted house genre in their forthcoming novel Withered. Be prepared, this one might pull on your... (ahem) ... heart strings!
Eighteen year old Ellis and their mother Robyn are moving back to her old hometown on the tail of their father's untimely passing. The house came cheap and the local teens waste no time explaining to Ellis that it's because the place is haunted. Their mother doesn't believe it, chalking it up to small town chatter. But as Ellis grows closer to Quinn, a pretty girl they quickly develop feelings for, who has also recently lost a family member, they discover there might be more to the rumors than just... rumours.
Neighbors begin to show up, begging Robyn to let their sick and elderly rest on the lawn, claiming "she" will care for them. Others claim to see their dead loved ones hanging around the property. And Ellis begins to notice odd bumps behind the wallpaper that, when pressed, appear to give off heat and throb beneath their fingers. And what of the strange voice they hear claiming "I am not what I seem"...
Withered does a nice job layering in topics of grief, eating disorders, fat shaming, queerness, and mental health, which do not necessarily tie directly into the creepy, haunted housey stuff but does help us invest more deeply into the characters and root for them more loudly as the battle between the living and the dead is brought, literally, to their front porch.
This one is best for readers who are in the mood for something with less scares and more heart.
I read They Came From the Ocean a few weeks ago and enjoyed it so much that I immediately looked for another Boris Bacic book to buy, and landed on thI read They Came From the Ocean a few weeks ago and enjoyed it so much that I immediately looked for another Boris Bacic book to buy, and landed on this one. I mean, Lighthouse horror... c'mon you guys, how could I say no?!
Sadly, I wish I had. The writing was subpar. The twist was pretty predictable. And the spooky stuff just wasn't spooky enough.
I remember walking the bookshelves at BAM and stumbling across this one in the horror section. I hadn't heard a thing about it and worried that it souI remember walking the bookshelves at BAM and stumbling across this one in the horror section. I hadn't heard a thing about it and worried that it sounded a little too romancey for me, but it was in the HORROR section so I figured eh, why not, and bought it. And I'm glad I did because this one was a win!
It's a sapphic love story that starts out all cutesy and flirty and curious with weird boundaries that quickly becomes obsessive and extremely manipulative that then becomes damn right straight up horrific!
If you're an anticipatory reader, you'll figure this one out reaaaally early on but I don't think that spoils the ride at all. Honestly, it moves kind of slowly so even if you do have it pegged right, you won't know just HOW right you pegged it until those final few pages.
It's worth it. I promise. It all comes together when it's ready.
You gotta tell me what you think when you read it!
There's just something about historical fiction, no matter what genre it is- victorian gothic, horror, thiller - that makes it almost impossible for mThere's just something about historical fiction, no matter what genre it is- victorian gothic, horror, thiller - that makes it almost impossible for me to fully submerse myself in it. The horribly dated views on what women should and shouldn't do, the weird way in which the characters speak ... And unsurprisingly, my experience with Grey Dog was no different.
In Grey Dogs, we meet Ada, a school teacher who has moved to Lowry Bridge to escape a horrible indiscretion in the hopes of rebuilding her reputation. She moves in with a childless christian couple named the Griers and learns they had boarded the previous teacher, who left in the middle of the night to return home to care for her ailing mother. Full of shame, guilt, and apparently some residual sexual energies, Ada befriends two local women who couldn't be more different from one another - Agatha, the reverend's wife with whom she develops a very close relationship, and Nora, the town widow who shares Ada's strange fondness for the woods.
As Ada begins to settle into her new routine of teaching and socializing, she starts to experience odd things that defy explanation - a swarm of crickets that disappear almost as suddenly as they had appeared, a dying rabbit in the middle of an undisturbed blanket of snow, and a deer that appears to birth a deformed human child before expiring. She also swears there's something out there in the woods, stalking her, just out of sight.
Intially, she keeps these peculiar encounters to herself for fear that the Griers and the rest of the towns people will think she's gone mad, until she uncovers a bizarre sentence scribbled into one of the old teacher's book of poetry, and learns that the Grier's once had a son who died under strange circumstances. These discoveries, along with the increasing terrors she keeps falling victim to, find our Ada quickly unraveling.
It sounds pretty good, right? While it's not a bad read, it's not a great one either. The book is saturated in grey - grey skies, grey faces, grey clothes, grey everything. I'm not kidding. The color grey was used to describe EVERYTHING in those first handful of pages. At one point, I felt compelled to shout "ok we get it, it's dark, it's depressing, there's no sun, the world is soggy and foggy and devoid of pretty things, can we get on with it now!" Putting aside the grey overload, though, the breadcrumbs that Gish left for us to follow were just enticing enough to keep me reading, even beyond the few points where I was seriouly beginning to consider DNFing. I wanted to know where this was going, if what Ada was experiencing was real or all in her head, if there really was something deeper and darker going on in that place...
Do I regret seeing it through? I'm not really sure. I don't know what I was expecting but the ending we got certainly wasn't it.
Were there any books you've read in the past that left you feeling the same way?...more
Henry is grieving. His daughter Elsie went missing 12 years ago and every year on the anniverary of her disappearance, he buGrief horror for the win!
Henry is grieving. His daughter Elsie went missing 12 years ago and every year on the anniverary of her disappearance, he buries another piece of her. His ex-wife's moved on but he's stuck in this terrible cycle of regret and pain. The only relief seems to come during the time he spends with his friend Josh at their grief counseling group meetings, but honestly, it's just an excuse to hit the bar afterwards and soak his sorrows in alcohol.
That is, until a stranger named Rowen pops by one evening and offers Henry the opportunity to join a seance - promising him some much needed closure. If she comes through, he'll be able to grieve her properly. If she doesn't, it might mean she's still out there, alive somewhere.
And oh boy, does Elsie ever come through! Henry is now being haunted by her, but in ways he never could have imagined.
This one takes its sweet old time, a slow burn for sure, but one that I read in nearly one sitting. It was a solid 4 star read for me until we hit the twist at the end and then BAM! Jeffery took the whole thing to a new level and there went my head and my heart!
Get this on your radar. You won't want to miss it. I promise you....more
