creature feature

Review: The Mist by Stephen King

~ megs14malloy

The MistThe Mist by Stephen King
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

The Mist is a terrifying, claustrophobia-inducing Horror story from the mind of my favorite author of all-time, Stephen King. This was my 3rd-time reading it, and I think I love it more than ever.

This novella could easily fall into the SciFi, Creature Feature, or Thriller, subgenres of Horror. It successfully builds dread and then pounds the Reader in the head with nightmarish situation after nightmarish situation. You’ll never see a fog bank approaching you the same way again…

We follow David, who lives on Long Lake in Bridgton, Maine, with his wife, Steff, and their son Billy. When we meet them, a terrible Summer storm hits their area, knocking down trees and taking out the power. They have a scary night, hunkered down in their basement.

After the storm passes, David and Steff, begin the clean-up of their property. Needing a few provisions, David agrees to run into town to the Federal Foods, taking with him Billy and their neighbor, Brent.

Just prior to leaving for town, David and Brent both note an abnormal fog bank approaching from the other side of the lake. David notices unusual properties about it, such as it’s sharp cutoff line and lack of condensation sparkle. It feels eerie, but is David’s mind just overly-sensitive due to the recent devastating weather?

It’s while they’re at the grocery store that the proverbial stuff really hits the fan, and they end up trapped within the market. As he’s investigating the generator in a back storage room, David, along with a few others, end up discovering the types of horror this fog has hidden within its depths.

I love David as a main character. From the way he’s crushing beers in his driveway at 10 a.m., post-storm, working with his chainsaw, to the way he takes charge and begins to lead within the market, he’s just the type of protagonist you can get behind.

I also loved all the true to life connections I found within this one. It really makes it a special reading experience. My best friend from high school lived on the Harrison-side of Long Lake, and she actually worked at the grocery store in Bridgton. Because of this, it was very easy for me to imagine this entire setting quite vividly.

In addition to this though, I also loved the way this story rolls out. The building up of suspense, as we try to figure out what lurks in the fog, to the reality of what it actually is and how do our characters survive that?

It’s also interesting, more from a sociological perspective, to watch the human interactions within the store develop as their situation goes from uncertain, to dire.

I would highly recommend this story. If you’ve seen any adaptations, just know this is different, very different depending on which adaptation you watched. Also, as always, the book is way better.

I absolutely recommend picking this up. Even if you’ve never read Stephen King before, and maybe want a sample of his style without committing to a 500+ page novel, this could be a great place to start. I adore this story. Impeccable.

Original:

Great, gorey, gripping story with a perfect ending!

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Review: Eynhallow by Tim McGregor

~ megs14malloy

EynhallowEynhallow by Tim McGregor
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I adored this story. Eynhallow is a darkly-creative, visceral and heart-breaking. I read it with equal parts horror and empathy. Oh, my heart…

This book first came on my radar after seeing a few trusted Book Friends’ glowing reviews. I really didn’t look into it too deeply, I just took their word for it.

Holy moly, am I glad that I did. It’s set on Eynhallow, year 1797, in the Orkney Islands off the coast of Scotland. This is a desolate, and extremely remote location, with only a handful of families roughing out a life there.

As an island resident myself, I understand the challenges, but during this time period, I cannot even imagine. There’s no ferry schedule to count on when you need an escape…

I listened the audiobook, and the narration by Angela Ness, a Scottish voice actor, brought incredible authenticity to it. The main character is Agnes Tulloch, and I truly felt like she was telling me her story.

I am not going to say anything about the events of the book. I feel it is best to go in knowing as little as possible and just let it all envelope you.

I found it so easy to become fully immersed in the story. The atmosphere is rich, and honestly, quite bleak. I felt everything Agnes went through over the course of the story. The ups-and-downs, the emotional roller coaster that often felt close to derailment. I felt it.

This is the 2nd-novella that I’ve read from Tim McGregor, and it’s also the 2nd 5-star rating. His quality of writing, the attention to detail in his storytelling, his ability to channel emotion through the narrative, it’s just top notch.

I would absolutely recommend this to any Horror lover, but in particular my atmosphere girlies, fans of Classic Horror and Historical Horror lovers. You know who you are.

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Review: Death in the Dark Woods (Monster Hunter Mystery #2) by Annelise Ryan

~ megs14malloy

Death in the Dark Woods (Monster Hunter #2)Death in the Dark Woods by Annelise Ryan
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Death in the Dark Woods is the 2nd-installment to Annelise Ryan’s Monster Hunter Cozy Mystery series.

This series features cryptozoologist and specialty bookstore owner, Morgan Carter, who helps investigate mysteries that may be linked to potential cryptid activity.

The beauty of this series is that it combines two of my very favorite things: creepy vibes and cozy mysteries.

I really enjoyed the 1st-book, A Death in Door County, when I read it last year and was looking forward to going on more adventures with Morgan and her lovable dog, Newt.

While that first story featured a potential lake monster, in this one, Morgan travels a little farther from home to help investigate possible Bigfoot sightings.

Specifically, the Bigfoot sightings have occurred around the Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest area of Bayfield County, Wisconsin. When a man is found dead, with an injury to his throat not thought to be cause by a human, a local warden, Charlie, calls Morgan for help.

Morgan is excited that her cyptid hunter business is finally getting some traction after gaining notoriety following the lake monster case. She’s more than happy to assist Charlie.

Nevertheless, Morgan is a skeptic at heart, so it’s gonna take solid proof for her to claim a Bigfoot is responsible for the fatal attack they’re investigating.

Morgan and Newt travel there and meet up with Charlie, who introduces them to their comfortable temporary lodgings, and then they get straight to work.

Morgan immerses herself in the small town, questioning numerous people about their experiences and opinions when it comes to the area’s Bigfoot legends.

It’s true that some claim to have seen Bigfoot type creatures, but that’s not the only thing Morgan uncovers. She reveals a trail of secrets and lies that could end up having more to do with the recent murder than anyone seems to be suspecting.

As the pressure starts to build, will Morgan and Newt be able to sniff out the killer before they strike again, or could Morgan end up being the next victim?

I had so much fun with this. I actually enjoyed it even more than the 1st-book. I loved that Morgan was traveling away from home, and that she was sort of inserting herself into this new place and digging around, trying to figure out whatever she could.

I loved learning about the local area along with her and meeting the various colorful characters of the small town.

Jon Flanders, the Police Chief, who asked for Morgan’s assistance in the 1st-book, appears in this one as well, as their relationship has continued to grow.

There have been some sparks between them and I love the way the chemistry is continuing to build. They both have some traumas in their past, so I like that it’s moving slowly, at a pace that seems realistic. It makes sense.

I also liked the dynamic between Morgan and Charlie. Charlie, as the local girl, has her own very strong opinions on the Bigfoot legends and I liked how Morgan didn’t let Charlie really sway her one way or another.

The highlight for me though is definitely the relationship between Morgan and Newt. I absolutely adore and appreciate the way that Ryan writes their connection.

As a Dog Mom, who frequently spends the majority of a book worrying about any doggie characters who may be involved, it was so nice to just sit back and enjoy the fact that Newt got to participate in pretty much everything Morgan does.

And I never worried about him! You can tell that Annelise Ryan is a dog person, and I just knew that she wouldn’t take it anywhere uncomfortable. It was freaking great!

At this point, I’m not sure what the long-term plans are for this series, but I really hoping for more books. There’s so much left to explore with Morgan, both as far as potential cryptid mysteries, but also with her personal life.

I am properly attached to Morgan, Newt and even Jon. Keeping my fingers crossed that we’ll be getting news of a 3rd-book soon!

Thank you so much to the publisher, Berkley, for providing me with a copy to read and review.

I recommend this to Cozy Mystery fans. It’s a unique series and a lot of fun. I’ve never read anything quite like it!

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