Tag: Horror book

Maeve Fly by C. J. Leede 🌟 Arc Review 🌟

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Brilliant. A very strange, unsettling, and horrifying read that has just the right amount of quirkiness.

Maeve is a princess in a theme park. Think an ice queen and mouse ears. She loves her job. Her best friend Kate is an aspiring actress, and just as Kate lands the role of a lifetime, her brother Gideon moves to town and takes an immediate interest in Maeve.

Maeve has some odd quirks, and she knows she is different. Living by the rules from different edgy books that speak to her inner and real self, about how to be an outlier. Her grandmother, a once famous starlet, showed her how to get through life by observing and hiding her inner demons, but too soon, she went into a coma.

All of these things culminate and come crashing into Maeve just as she loses her job, and in a way, this allows her to let out what most don’t see her true nature.

This has so many levels…. distrust, loneliness, that Hollywood vibe bordering on what’s real and what’s not. And then comes the gore!

I really loved this. I loved the whole construction of this story, the buildup making the ending even more impacting. I think this belongs on the same shelf as American Psycho and Fight Club.

Out June 6, 2023!

Thank you, Netgalley and Publisher, for this Arc!

Content warning for blood, gore, and body horror.

All the Dead Lie Down by Kyrie McCauley 🌟 Arc Review 🌟

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This is a haunting and romantic tale that completely pulled me under with its darkness.

Marin recently lost her mother and winds up traveling to be a nanny at the Lovelace house. This house is known throughout town to be cursed, but even though Marin does not expect what lies ahead for her.

Marin and Evie are a great couple to watch grow together, especially through Marin’s realizations. The children, Thea and Wren, are absolutely delightful to read about. I loved their twisted schemes.

I thought this book became a little slow at a later point in it. But overall, the idea and the emotions in this story kept me reading.

Out May 16, 2023!

Thank you, Netgalley and Publisher, for this Arc!

The Salt Grows Heavy by Cassandra Khaw 🌟 Arc Review 🌟

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A beautiful love story that is juxtaposed with a horrifying setting full of gore and cannibalism. This story was enthralling.

A very different outcome to the Little Mermaid tale. This mermaid lost everything when taken in by her prince. However, this story begins with her final acts of vengeance brought on by her bloodthirsty children as she leaves with her plague doctor.

They come across boys playing violently and follow them to a ramshackle town run by three saints. They have a very deceptive hold on these children, controlling them through fear and a god-like presence. The plague doctor and mermaid prepare to destroy these men before they can hurt more children.

This story is gross, and yet absolutely poignant and full of the most savory, lyrical writing, and more than anything, this story is full of a strong love and devotion between two people.

Definitely recommend this!

Out May 2, 2023!

This Delicious Death by Kayla Cottingham 🌟 Arc Review 🌟

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This is a delicious treat of a horror book! A full course meal that left me completely satisfied! I love new takes on the zombies and monsters of horror any day, but this is going down as a favorite.

Zoey and her friends are ghouls. They are a part of the Hollow People that make up a section of the world’s population now. Ghouls become gaunt, a bit elongated, with claws and vicious fangs and require human meat to live on. That’s why Zoey and the girls are taking a nice big cooler of Synflesh with them to a desert music festival. However, it’s not a fun festival for long.

I loved this so much! It really made me laugh while being creepy and gory, which is a difficult task.

Content warnings for gore, violence, death, and mention of deadnaming.

Out April 25, 2023!

The Haunting of Alejandra by V. Castro 🌟 Arc Review 🌟

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A haunting story featuring the legend of La Llorona.  This is a spirit that haunts women who are sad and suffering.   Particularly those with children.   La Llorona appears dripping wet and decayed to try and devour Alejandra and her emotions.

This was really good.  I loved the characters.   I think I liked the depictions of La Llorona the best, though.   The real fear in this story were the inner demons of the main character, Alejandra, and how that attracted this spirit who wanted to take all the pain away…. however,  in a very bad way. 

Out April 18, 2023!

Thank you, Netgalley and Publisher, for this Arc!!

The Marigold by Andrew F. Sullivan 🌟 Arc Review 🌟

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This was wild! I really got sucked into this one from the beginning. The idea of the spores, the gruesome consequences of coming in contact with them. And, really, at the center of it all is the hulking Marigold. This place is evil, that’s certain, and if you dare to read this twisted tale, be ready for multiple angles looking at evil.

I liked this. I thought it was twisted, which is something I love. I love getting into the heads of characters and seeing the world through such a twisted viewpoint. This book has a lot packed in it and hops around to different points of view.

Okay, how many times did I use the word twisted in this? Lol. But, that’s just the perfect description!

Out April 18, 2023!

A House with Good Bones by T. Kingfisher 🌟 Arc Review 🌟

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Thank you, Netgalley and Tor Nightfire, for this Arc!!!

This is it! This made my life better! I swear it did.  Sam (Samantha) goes home on a break from an archeological dig.  She’s an entomologist (studies bugs) and an archeologist (studies OLD bugs).  Her scientific mind is put to the test when she enters her childhood home and finds it completely changed.   Her mother seems to have a new obsession with Sam’s grandmother,  Grand Mae, and this has resulted in mom recreating the house in Grand Mae’s original style.  Not good.  Especially because Grand Mae was a very mean, cruel lady. 

I am so into this horror! I loved the main character.  Honestly,  I loved every character in this book. They each had a purpose and were hilarious and interesting to read about.  Sam, especially because her sense of humor was absolutely on par with every single weird thing that happened.   And, trust me,  things get really weird.   Sam is the guiding light through this whole story, keeping me thoroughly invested. 

Obviously, I loved this.  Of course I recommend it.  Just read it, you fools!! (Gandalf voice). 

Out March 28, 2023!

Pinata by Leopoldo Gout 🌟 Arc Review 🌟

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Thank you, Netgalley and Publisher, for this Arc!

This is a slow starting horror that led me to a gruesome and brutal ending that I will not soon forget.

This story begins with a short intro covering a scene about the brutal colonization of an ancient people and continues to be very rich in Nahua culture. I loved this take on vengeance against this atrocity against a group of humans. It gives the story a strong backbone and lends credence to any questions of why certain things happen.

Carmen is going to Mexico as a lead architect for a remodel of an old abby. She brings her daughters, Izel and Luna, with her to introduce them to the culture they come from. Everything seems to be going fine until Luna is targeted for possession by spirits who lead to the horror to come. When she finds an ancient pinata, originally a gift to gods made out of clay and sealed with viscera inside it, she is officially possessed, and the horror truly begins.

I liked this book a lot. However, I felt like the dialogues and interactions between characters were a bit cut and dry and did not have the energy I enjoy more while reading.

Overall, a very creepy and also, culture rich, read!

Out March 14, 2023!

Mothered by Zoje Stage 🌟 Arc Review 🌟

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Thank you, Netgalley and Publisher, for this Arc!

Okay… prepare yourself! This is the post-pandemic book I’ve been waiting for. Thrilling. Covering many topics that I shared worry over, but making my trip through 2020 look like an all year spa vacation in comparison. But, importantly, highlighting where that year took many Americans and others mentally but with a horror/supernatural twist.

Grace has just bought a house when the pandemic begins. She is frustrated with work and even more so when her mom kind of forces her way into her home. Her mom seems to go between a manic overwhelming kindness, helping vibe, to being more sullen and hateful. Grace experiences some horrifying dreams during this time, all while once again facing her childhood past with her dead twin.

So, yeah, it’s a hard read but it also kept my eyes glued to the pages with this need to figure out the puzzle of what is happening. Grace seems to be an unreliable narrator leaving me confused at times but riveted to the story.

Definitely recommend this as a dark thriller/horror!

Out March 1, 2023!

Sister, Maiden, Monster by Lucy A. Snyder 🌟 Arc Review 🌟

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Thank you, Netgalley and Publisher, for this Arc!!!

This is a sweet, gruesome, disgusting, caring, horrific and brilliant book! And, that’s as much as a warning as a recommendation. This book may make your bile rise, but it will also become a welcomed obsession when your flying on the wings of a reader high! (Don’t ask, idk)

The characters in each section are all somehow connected which was a satisfying plus. This takes place years after covid with the beginning of a new pandemic. However, some lucky patients seem to turn into Vampire and zombie-esque types of new people, maybe even a new species.

This story and the author’s powerful, no spare on the gore style had me from the beginning to the end. It’s not a long book and it’s a very quick read.

Out February 21, 2023!