haunted house

Review: The Handyman Method by Nick Cutter and Andrew F. Sullivan

~ megs14malloy

The Handyman MethodThe Handyman Method by Nick Cutter
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

The Handyman Method is a recently released Domestic Horror tale that left me scratching my head. Not necessarily because of the content, it never lost me, but because I don’t know how to express how I feel about it.

Even days later, I can’t put into words what about this didn’t appeal to me. It’s a good book, yeah, but in spite of its positives, I wasn’t feeling it at all.

This story follows a young family, husband, Trent, wife, Rita and son, Milo, who are moving into a new home. The home itself is in an unfinished subdivision and it seems they are the first to the neighborhood.

Their move-in day is a little odd. You can already tell something is potentially off with this family. The husband in particular is giving off a vibe that resembles Jack Torrance after weeks at The Overlook.

He seems unhinged is what I’m trying to tell you.

After Trent finds a flaw in the wall of his wife’s closet, he cannot rest until he fixes it. In order to do so he does what many of us do. He turns to YouTube.

He finds the channel of Handyman Hank, who is more than happy to guide Trent on his wall patch project, as well as many other things.

Meanwhile, Milo is having interesting experiences of his own at the new property. Some more traumatizing than others. Prepare yourself for some action with his pet turtle…

I don’t know what else to say about this without giving plot points away, so let’s just end the summary portion there. Now let’s get into the dirt.

First, I was struck by how similar the family dynamic resembled The Shining. Trent’s character especially seemed like he was Jack’s less likable cousin. Even down to him losing his job due to an incident at work, the truth of which unfolds for us over the course of the story.

Milo as well felt very Danny, but actually I have no clue how old Milo actually was. To me, he could have been anywhere from 5, all the way to like 13. Honestly, I have no clue.

The Mom, Rita, was odd, but she didn’t really impact me one way or another until the end.

I think I did this book a disservice actually by picking it up directly after I had read The Shining. It was literally the next book, so that was all front and center in my brain.

Therefore, I couldn’t help but see comparisons around every turn in this story, and not in a good way. If I’m being honest, that did impact my experience with this book.

As far as the rest of it goes, it didn’t do anything for me. It didn’t do anything wrong either, I just wasn’t feeling anything from the characters, or any atmosphere, or sense of place. It all felt very flat.

There was certainly plenty going on, as far as action and progression, but I just didn’t care. I know so many people are going to love this. I’ve read some of the reviews and their experiences with it sound incredible.

I wish the same could have happened for me.

I’m glad I gave this one a shot. It had an intriguing premise overall. I just wish I could have connected more with the characters and plot.

As I’ve said before though, just because this one didn’t work for me, doesn’t mean it won’t work for you. I definitely feel like I am in the minority opinion at this point, so please check out all the other great reviews for this book.

If the synopsis sounds interesting to you, it’s absolutely worth picking up. You could find a new favorite and then, feel free to come back and tell me how wrong I am!

Thank you to the publisher, Gallery / Saga Press, for providing me with a copy to read and review. I’m sad this was a miss for me, but I look forward to picking up more from both of these authors in the future!!

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Re-Reading The Shining for the 4th-Time!!!

~ megs14malloy

The ShiningThe Shining by Stephen King
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This was my 4th-time reading The Shining.

You read that correctly, the 4th-time. I’m aware rereading isn’t for everyone, but I am a huge supporter and fan of rereading, especially tried and true favorites.

I know a lot of people feel it is a waste of time, but for me, when a story is special enough to you, each time with it is like a whole new experience. That’s exactly how I feel every time I open the pages of this book.

Additionally, I feel like where I am at in my life plays a huge role in what I take out of a reading experience.

For example, the first time I read this, I was in high school. You better believe that 14-year old Meg walked away from this having picked up on different things than 44-year old Meg does, reading it now.

My experiences have shown me that rereading allows me to focus on different areas of any particular story. This time around, for me, I felt myself really drawn to the private thoughts and emotions of this cast of characters.

Jack’s experience, in particular, as he struggles with the position he finds himself in, his loitering addiction and the love for his family, hit me hard this time. Instead of seeing his horrible aspects front and center, I thought more about what was going on with him internally.

There were moments of clarity for him, when he could see beyond the fog of the hotel’s power, moments where he cherished his son and wife, but they would slip away like mist. It made my heart ache for the whole family.

This experience also reiterated for me how much I love Wendy and Hallorann. They got played dirty in the movie adaptation and we all know it. Not by the actors, the acting was fantastic, but yeah, they feel like completely different people in the book, IMO.

Again, I was beyond impressed with some of the scenes in this still having the ability to scare the shit out of me, even after all these years. The perfect example would be the first time Jack tries to trim the topiary.

That freaking scene gets my pulse racing every time!

I also felt like I paid more attention to the history of The Overlook this time through; like when Jack is looking into it. I really felt focused in those sections and loved being reminded of its intensely lurid history.

Finally, I would just give all the stars in the universe, yet again, to King’s sense of place with this one. His ability to transform a hotel into an actual character in the story is just a masterpiece. It’s basically the standard to which I compare atmosphere in all other stories.

I’m so glad I took the time to reread this. It was exactly what I needed to re-energize my reading. You better believe, this won’t be the last time either!

Earlier

Here’s the thing, July hasn’t been the best reading month for me. I’ve had a lot of 2-to-3-star books. I’m frustrated. I’m getting disgruntled and burnt out on it honestly.

I have never been in a reading slump before, but I definitely feel myself drifting into that territory…

I feel like in an effort to keep that from happening, I am going to reread one of my top-3 favorite books of all-time. If anyone can shake me out of this funk, it’s Jack Torrance. I hear the fourth times a charm!!!

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Review: Episode Thirteen by Craig DiLouie

~ megs14malloy

Episode ThirteenEpisode Thirteen by Craig DiLouie
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

**3.5-stars**

Episode Thirteen sounded perfect to me and while there were quite a few things I enjoyed about the story, it was a bit of a mixed bag for me.

I took some time to process my experience with this one before I even attempted to write a review. I was so disappointed initially, but I wouldn’t say that would be a fair assessment of all my time with this book.

I think a lot of the disappointment may have stemmed from me building this one up so much in my mind ahead of time. I set my own unrealistically high expectations, if you will.

This story follows a ghost hunting reality tv crew. Quick side note about me, I have been so into ghost hunting YouTube lately. It’s like my go-to late night viewing, so I was super pumped that DiLouie was bringing some of that to the page.

I listened to the audiobook and I do feel like this story lends itself well to that medium. The audio production was very well executed and I would recommend it.

But while I really enjoyed the audio production, I wouldn’t say I ever really connected with the story overall.

Halfway through, I wouldn’t have even been able to tell you the name of the property they were exploring. I also had a difficult time keeping track of some of the male characters. They all seemed like carbon copies to me in the moment.

And even though I celebrate the over-arching vibe of the book, once we got to the crux of the story, it lost me. It reminded me a lot of both Hide and These Fleeting Shadows.

By this I mean, that a certain plot device was used in all three to sort of explain the nature of the places/settings of each of these stories.

It didn’t work for me in either of those cases and it didn’t work for me here either. The thing is none of the synopsis indicates this is where these stories would go, so there’s no actual way to avoid it. Sorry about it, but it’s true.

At the end of the day, even though I wasn’t dazzled by this one, I would absolutely continue picking up more stories by DiLouie. You can’t win ’em all.

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Review: Are You Afraid of the Dark: The Tale of the Gravemother by Rin Chupeco

~ megs14malloy

Are You Afraid of the Dark?Are You Afraid of the Dark? by Rin Chupeco
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Many of you probably remember, hopefully fondly, the 1990s-Horror Anthology television series for young people called Are You Afraid of the Dark? I loved that show and all things related to it.

Recently, I binge-watched The Midnight Society on Netflix and it made me hugely nostalgic for this series. As I was searching the web for more content, I stumbled across this book about a week before its release date.

Seeing Rin Chupeco’s name on the cover sealed the deal, I ordered it immediately. Having read YA Horror from Chupeco before, I knew this would be good. I just knew it!

Spoiler alert: I was right.

In this story we meet Levi, who is the new boy in town. He gets the opportunity to try out to be a member of the Midnight Society. This book is the story he tells around the campfire that night.

First, let me just say, Levi is definitely getting in and deservedly if this is the story he is telling. I became so immersed in this and loved how it all played out.

The story follows Zane, who is also a new boy in town, after his family inherits a haunted mansion. He moves to town with his Dad and his little sister, Emma.

Local legend says the property is haunted by the Gravemother, a woman who was apparently suspected of kidnapping and harming local children.

It doesn’t take long before Zane comes to believe the legends are true. Even though they aren’t living at the property, it needs some heavy renovating, they do spend time there and Zane starts to see and experience things he can’t explain.

Along with his new friend, Garrett, who started out as a bit of an enemy, Zane digs into investigating the legend for himself. Are the stories about the Gravemother true? And even if they are, how can they help her to rest?

I really enjoyed this story. It had so many fun elements and was written really well. Zane’s friend Garrett has his own ghost-hunting team. How could you not love that?!

I think Chupeco did a great job transitioning into the Spooky Middle Grade genre. There is quite a difference between YA Horror and Middle Grade Horror and I feel like they navigated that so well.

The imagery was great, the story fluid, fun and engaging and there was also great messages about family, friendships and personal growth. I felt like it was so thoughtfully written for the target audience.

The highlight of this for me was the friendship between Zane and Garrett. I feel like Chupeco nailed the natural progression of new friendships.

In the beginning, I thought Zane and Garrett were going to have real issues; like a bully situation. Happily though, they were able to advance past that and become supportive friends. They also acknowledged it and communicated their feelings to one another.

It was nice to see and I think in a MG story, it sets a great example for Younger Readers. This is more than a spooky story, there’s substance here.

Overall, I had a lot of fun reading this. While I don’t think it will stick in my mind for years to come, I had a great time with it in the moment and that’s what I was looking for.

I’m hoping this is a start of an all-new revamp of this series. I would love to see future installments from other talented writers like Chupeco.

I would definitely recommend this to any fan of the original series, new fans, or any Young Readers who enjoy a spooky story. This was a lot of fun!

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Review: A House with Good Bones by T. Kingfisher

~ megs14malloy

A House with Good BonesA House with Good Bones by T. Kingfisher
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

💚🖤💚🖤💚🖤💚🖤💚🖤💚🖤💚

A House with Good Bones is the most recent release from T. Kingfisher, one of my favorite authors. With this being said, it’s probably unsurprising that this is by far one of my most anticipated releases of 2023.

Happily, this peculiar Southern Gothic tale didn’t disappoint for one single second. I loved it from the first sentence.

When Sam’s brother calls her, expressing concern about their Mom’s health and state-of-mind, Sam figures it couldn’t come at a better time. With her archaeological dig site temporarily shut down, there’s no time like the present to travel home to North Carolina for a visit.

It’s been a while. She loves her Mom. Why not go stay with her and see what she can see. If her brother is right, Sam wants to be able to help.

Once back in her childhood home, Sam can feel it. Something is off. It’s not just the changes that Mom has made to the house, she’s acting different. It’s slight things, but they definitely don’t go unnoticed.

Sam senses her Mom is afraid of something, but what?

The mystery is deep enough that Sam is compelled to get to the bottom of it. There’s no way she’ll be able to leave her Mom like this. Further, Sam is prepared to kick the butt of whoever is the cause of her Mom’s secret distress.

Digging into it, however, requires digging into her own past and the past of her family. You never know what you’re gonna find when you start digging.

That Sam knows is true. She’s an archaeo-entomologist after all, but even she didn’t expect the Mason Jar full of human teeth buried under the rose bushes…

With help from some new friends, Sam gets elbows deep in her sordid family history and tries her best to rid her mother and their property from its long shadow.

Y’all, this was such an intriguing and engaging story. At this point, reading a T. Kingfisher for me is like story-time with an old friend. Her writing style is so distinct.

She’s like the Axel Rose of Dark Fiction. You can tell it’s her from just a few lines.

I always connect with Kingfisher’s main characters. I think it is the sense of humor. It’s the way I think and view the world, so it’s super easy for me to fall into step with their thought patterns and choices.

This main character, Sam, was no exception. I just got her, wow. I loved how on it she was with her Mom. She wasn’t willing to look the other way. She didn’t look upon her task as a burden.

Something was wrong here, her mom had sacrificed so much for her, and gosh darn it, Sam wasn’t leaving until she helped her in return.

I appreciate how quirky and unique Kingfisher’s side characters are. They contribute so much. In this one, Phil, her Mom’s kind-of-cute handyman and Gail, the eccentric neighbor, who owns a one-winged vulture and may-or-may-not be a witch, were stars of the show.

Gail fit nicely into one of my favorite Horror character archetypes. Let’s see if I can explain this correctly…

The older character, who comes into the orbit of our protagonist and teaches them, or guides them in what they need to know to survive/defeat/overcome the obstacles/issues/horrifying creatures they’re dealing with, all whilst providing incredible comic relief.

The atmosphere was fantastic. I loved learning about the house and all the different little things that Sam was noticing. There are some fun scenes with bugs as well.

The ending got crazy. It reminded me a little of The Twisted Ones. Not so much in the content, or what happened, but just sort of how it all unfolded leading up to the conclusion. I loved that book and loved this one too.

Also, the audiobook is great. I absolutely recommend it. Once I started, I couldn’t stop. The narrator brought this story to life for me!

I would recommend this to anyone who has enjoyed T. Kingfisher’s work in the past, or anyone who enjoys Southern Gothic tales, or stories that bring humor to Horror.

Finally, if you are new to T. Kingfisher, I actually think this would be a strong place to start.

Thank you so much to the publisher, Tor Nightfire and Macmillan Audio, for providing me with copies to read and review. I had so much fun with this and can’t wait to read it again someday!

A House with Good Bones is available now!!!

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Review: She Is a Haunting by Trang Thahn Tran

~ megs14malloy

She Is a HauntingShe Is a Haunting by Trang Thanh Tran
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

**3.5-stars**

She Is a Haunting is a YA-story following a girl named, Jade Nguyen, and her experiences at her father’s haunted house in a remote area of Vietnam.

Jade, who lives with her Mom and siblings in the United States, is getting ready to start college and is concerned about money. School is expensive and she can’t ask her Mom, who has sacrificed so much for them and works so hard, to contribute any more.

Thus, Jade is in a bit of a pickle. Her estranged father, who abandoned them and moved back to Vietnam, has the money. He offers it to her on the condition that she and her little sister, Lily, go and live with him for the summer.

The thing is, Jade is really angry at her Dad, like really, really angry. After he walked out on them, they never dealt with that trauma. They don’t even talk about. It’s sort of pushed under the rug, the reality of it all.

Unfortunately, Jade feels like she has no other option. She can make this work. It’s like 5-weeks. She can suffer through anything for that amount of time, or can she?

Along for the journey with Jade and Lily are their Mom and younger brother. Their Mom and younger brother are going to be staying with their Mom’s family in a different city though, so it will just be Jade and Lily forced to stay at their Dad’s place.

His home is actually a French-style villa left over from the colonial era that he is currently converting into a B&B. The renovation is going strong when they arrive and their Dad actually expects their help.

Jade’s assigned task is to get a sleek and modern website up and running for info and reservations. As you can imagine, she’s thrilled to be doing her father’s bidding.

Helping her with the site, is the daughter of one of her Dad’s business partners, a local girl named, Florence, who Jade is immediately intrigued by. Maybe this won’t be so bad.

Then the weirdness kicks in. Strange happenings at the house, visions, dreams, sounds, sleep paralysis; Jade is convinced the house is haunted, but no one believes her. Perhaps with a little help from Florence, they can make them believe.

This is an intriguing story and I did enjoy Trang Thanh Tran’s writing style. Jade was an interesting character. She is very angry, so being in her head isn’t always a comfy, relaxing place to be, but she’s certainly allowed her feelings.

I respected the author allowing her to sort of live in the negative spaces in her mind, without trying to cure her of anything. She’s been through things, she’s allowed to hold that grudge, particularly against her estranged father.

I enjoyed the set-up, the reason for Jade traveling to Vietnam and the reason she needed to stay there. Additionally, some of the imagery, including descriptions of body horror, bug scenes and sleep paralysis were really well done, quite creepy.

However, I did grow a little bored with it. It was just so slow. I don’t mind a slow burn, and I would definitely classify this as one, however the payoff needs to be worth it.

Personally, I felt the ending of this got a little too chaotic and slightly confusing for me to necessarily consider the slow burn worth it.

I did enjoy and appreciate a lot of the topics examined here, including the different relationships Jade had with her family members, the impact and repercussions of colonialism, Jade’s family history and sexuality.

The brightest lights for me was the love and respect that Jade had for her Mom, as well as the investigation Jade started into the history of the house.

Overall, I do think this is a compelling, though slow paced, haunted house story. I did enjoy my time with it, even though it tended to drag in certain places. I appreciate the author’s attention to detail, creativity and spooky imagery.

Thank you to the publisher, Bloomsbury YA, for providing me with a copy to read and review. I would absolutely be interested in picking up future work from Trang Thanh Tran!

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