horror

Review: Play Nice by Rachel Harrison

~ megs14malloy ~ Leave a comment

Play NicePlay Nice by Rachel Harrison
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I love Rachel Harrison. She’s easily one of my favorite authors. From her stories, the sense of humor she includes and her MC’s characterizations, I’m confident we would be besties if we ever met IRL.

I’ve been lucky enough to read all of her releases early and actually did receive this as ARC. It’s my favorite cover of hers and I was so excited for it, but then I sat on it for a year. I have an e-copy, a hard copy and the audiobook, yet I never read it until now, over 13-months later.

This novel even includes some of my favorite things: a haunted possessed house, complicated family dynamics and an MC returning to their childhood home after a long time away, being forced to face their past and perhaps solve a long-standing mystery of some sort.

Harrison was checking all the boxes for me. It was like a gimme I was gonna love this, yet I let her grow stale and dusty on my shelves like a real jerk. I admit it. Contrary to the optics, I don’t have all my sh*t together, something the MC in this book, Clio Barnes, can certainly relate with.

How fitting…

Clio lives a glamorous life as a stylist and fashion influencer in NYC, but she harbors a dark secret. Clio’s family went through a lot of drama when she was young. After her parents divorce, they lived in a possessed house, at least that was her mother’s assertion and it shattered their family.

Ultimately, Clio, along with her two older sisters, ended up being removed from their mother’s care in favor of their father, and they remained estranged from her moving forward. Even though no one believed her, Clio’s Mom, Alex, was insistent that what she experienced in that house was real; it was possessed.

She even wrote a book about it, one Clio never read.

After Alex’s untimely death, the possessed house now passes to Clio and her sisters. Her sisters want nothing to do with it. In fact, they won’t even return for the funeral, but Clio decides it can be a new project. House flipping is great content and she’s not about to pass it up.

We follow Clio as she moves into a house she barely remembers and is forced to face all that happened there. She ends up discovering a tattered copy of her Mom’s book, with annotations specifically for her.

Left in the house to her own devices, reading her Mom’s words, memories start to resurface, and Clio begins to believe that her Mom may have been right. Something malevolent is living in this house and it begins to make its presence known.

I loved this. I became so invested very quickly. Personally, I found Clio relatable. Yeah, she could be a bit off-putting at times, but I fully believe that was simply defense mechanisms she’d built up due to everything that had happened to her in her early life.

Her journey in this house, and the things she discovered, were not easy, so she was definitely dealing with a lot. I loved how even when she was discovering uncomfortable things, she didn’t back off. She could have. She could have left well enough alone, but she was driven to find the truth no matter the cost and I respected the hell out of that.

There was a lot of messy family drama and I live for that kind of thing in my fiction. If written well, I just find it so engrossing and can be absolutely swept away, as I was here.

I also love how Harrison packed this full of some difficult topics, but she also brought enough humor and action that it never felt bogged down, or depressing. That’s something I always love about her books. The content is rich, but the stories somehow always manage to still be fun. It’s a challenging thing to balance, but Harrison does it so well.

I’m so happy that I finally picked this up. I’ve never waited this long to read a Rachel Harrison release, and I assure you, I’ll never do it again. I loved this so much. My heart is full. It’s a fantastic novel.

Thank you so much to the publisher, Berkley, for providing me with a copy to read and review. Rachel Harrison is a gem. I’m a fangirl for life!!

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Review: ‘Twas the Night by Kevin Johnson

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'Twas the Night: A Novel‘Twas the Night: A Novel by Kevin Johnson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

**3.5-stars rounded up **

Halley Belanger, a young reporter, is on the trail of some missing kids, and intel leads her straight to a tiny little town in Maine called Yule. It’s a strange place where Christmas isn’t just a holiday, it’s a way of life.

Arriving in the town, Halley finds herself at a defunct B&B run by an eccentric older couple, Barry and Bob. Disturbing things start happening right way. Yule itself is disturbing. Halley ends up stranded in this creepy little town.

Tensions run high. Will she ever be able to leave?

‘Twas the Night is a fun read. It’s a true Christmas Horror, made extra fun by the great banter that Johnson included. I loved Barry and Bob. They made the story for me. Also, Halley though. She was a determined MC and I liked following her as she faced some pretty intense challenges.

The concept of the town was compelling, and I liked the darker side of Christmas lore that Johnson delivered. Personally, I think this would be a great holiday movie along the same lines as Krampus.

After all, Christmas is a messy business!

Just let the above image sit with you for a bit.

Honestly though, I would recommend this to any Horror Reader who is looking to get in the mood for the holiday season. Not all is joyous and bright in this book, but for some of us, that’s just how we like it.

I would also highly recommend the audiobook. The narration by Mia Hutchinson-Shaw was very well done. I felt like Halley was actually just telling me her story. Hutchinson-Shaw definitely brought the action to life, which I always appreciate that energy and conviction in narration.

Thank you to the publisher, William Morrow and HarperAudio, for providing me with copies to read and review. I had a lot of fun with this and am looking forward to reading more from this author in the future.

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Review: Monstera by Delilah S. Dawson

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MonsteraMonstera by Delilah S. Dawson
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Monstera. Monstera. Monstera.

I anticipated this book for so long that I may have inadvertently set myself up for failure. Granted a 3.5-star rating is a good rating don’t get me wrong, but I was predicting this would be 5-stars for me, so was a little sad when it didn’t quite meet those lofty expectations.

This story follows Lucy, a reclusive young woman, who at the start of the novella is moving into a lovely new apartment in downtown Savannah.

Lucy has been suffering living for years under the strong arm of her overbearing Grandfather, but after his death, Lucy finds herself in the position to start afresh.

Even though the landlord is a bit of a creeper, the apartment itself has everything she could ever want, including a beautiful green space in the back. Her downstairs neighbor, Saskia, a power-lifter with a green thumb, is also quite intriguing to doe-eyed Lucy.

The two women are drawn together, and Lucy finds herself on the verge of her very first, true adult friendship. As the women grow closer, they discover they share a lot more in common than just an apartment building.

Okay, yeah, so this was fine for me. I thought it was a little plain and predictable, if I’m being honest, but you certainly can’t fault the writing, which is wonderful. Further, if you’re just here for the Sapphic vibes, that part is great. Besides that, I didn’t feel like it had much going on.

IDK. I was underwhelmed.

There is a ton of detailed character work though, so for people who enjoy more character-driven stories, this could be a huge hit. I think it’s clear that Dawson took a lot of time and care developing these two main characters, as they were very well-fleshed out.

I think for me, I was just expecting something a bit darker and more deranged. I wanted thrills and chills, in addition to the Sapphic vibes. I just feel like I didn’t get that.

Nevertheless, this is just my opinion and just because it didn’t necessarily knock me out of the park, it could be a new favorite for you. Don’t take my word for it, pick it up for yourself and see what you think.

I would definitely recommend if you pick it to try to get the audiobook. The narration from Laura English is perfect for Lucy’s character. It really helped keep me invested in the story, when I might have not been as motivated otherwise.

Thank you to the publisher, Tor Nightfire and Macmillan Audio, for providing me with copies to read and review. Though not my favorite from this author, I’ll definitely be back for more!

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Review: Look What the Cat Dragged In by Jason Rekulak

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Look What the Cat Dragged InLook What the Cat Dragged In by Jason Rekulak
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Look What the Cat Dragged In follows a successful young illustrator, Penny Padget, who has a series inspired by her beloved cat, Popcorn. She’s under-pressure to crank out the 4th-installment when Popcorn goes missing, via an open window, in a horrendous snowstorm.

Penny immediately rallies the troops, aka. her friends, but in spite of leaving no stone unturned, they’re unable to locate Popcorn. In the aftermath, Penny is obviously devastated. How can she move forward with her sweet angel, her best friend, her muse, Popcorn, missing?

Penny’s boyfriend, Dean, who she lives with, tries everything to cheer her up, but nothing seems to work. Nevertheless, he persists and wants to return to their normal life. He ends up talking her into joining him for a very lavish work event set at a private estate.

It’s there that Penny meets, Godfrey, a opinionated male cat who takes an instant liking to her. Seeing how Godfrey has literally attached himself to Penny, Godfrey’s owner implores Penny to cat-sit for her while she travels overseas. After a brief discussion, Penny reluctantly agrees.

Not long after Godfrey enters their home, things begin to change, and not in a good way. Penny is losing time, hearing things and having disturbing nightmares. Godfrey’s behavior has also changed. He’s gone from attentive and affectionate to downright creepy and stalkerish.

Dean is zero help. Penny has a hard time explaining all the things that are happening whilst he’s away at work, but even when she does, he brushes off her concerns. Then her health begins to fail. She’s being changed. It’s like she’s under attack by some malevolent force.

We follow Penny as she desperately tries to get to the bottom of what is happening in their house, and to her. She’s in a tough spot, with unbelievable claims. Will anyone be able to help her escape her dire circumstances?

I had an absolute blast with this book. I found it so utterly compelling and entertaining. It’s fun and wacky AF, and just so creative and satisfying. If I had to comp it, I would describe it as Black Sheep meets Rosemary’s Baby, with CATS!

The audiobook is fantastic. The stellar narration of Stephanie Németh-Parker truly brings Penny’s character to life. I felt like her delivery was spot on for what Penny might have been feeling in certain moments. It just made the story so engaging for me.

I highly recommend the audiobook format if you can get it.

I loved how Rekulak presented the more occult elements as well. It had a richly-dark humor to it that I found so fun. I know a lot of people don’t like horror and humor mixed, but for me, it’s one of my favorite combinations.

I’m a spooky-ooky, horror-loving girlie, but I also like having laughs with my stories. Sure, there’s a time and place. If you have a grief-focused Horror novel, I wouldn’t pepper in TOO much humor, but with a story like this, absolutely. Bring it on. I think Rekulak did a great job balancing the creepiness with the lighter, entertaining bits.

And for the most part, the humor for me was just Penny’s thoughts; her dry delivery of all the things happening. It was wild, and like, if you didn’t laugh, you’d cry, you know?

I think this is my favorite novel from Rekulak thus far. It checked off so many of the things I look for when searching for a story like this. I wouldn’t say it was perfect, but I didn’t really need it to be. I still had an amazing time with it and I can’t wait to get a hard copy for my collection.

Thank you so much to the publisher, Macmillan Audio, for providing me with a copy to read and review. This has cemented Rekulak as a must-read author for me. I cannot wait for whatever is next!

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Review: Nightjars by Michael Wehunt

~ megs14malloy

NightjarsNightjars by Michael Wehunt
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Nightjars exceeded all of my expectations. I absolutely lost myself in this gritty and gripping story that beautifully blends Horror and Crime Fiction. At the end, I was brought to tears! Me! Brought to tears.

I hardly even realized how attached I had become to this group of characters until the very end, as everything was coming to a head, it made me so emotional. Wehunt definitely sneaked up on me with that.

How dare you, Michael.

This story follows Luke, who at the start of the novel is out on a first date with a woman he met at his bookstore. They’re having solid conversation, when she gets up and excuses herself to the restroom. She never returns.

Luke is confused, and even more so when he discovers that she’s left a disturbing photograph underneath her napkin. A photo that shows Luke, as a child, with a clearly dead body in his bedroom, and a grown man wearing a mask. He has no recollection of the event depicted in the image.

Following this unsettling evening, more photos arise, shaking Luke to his core. His brain is whirring as it tries to make sense of these gruesome photos. We find out Luke has a dark past. His father was a killer, and Luke has struggled his whole life trying to come to terms with his father’s legacy, but is there more to it than even he realized?

We also follow Luke’s ex-wife, Kristen. They have a young daughter, and although they are no longer together, Kristen still cares about him. When Luke is accused of a current string of murders, Kristen knows it’s not true and sets out to help him prove his innocence.

The Publisher’s synopsis describes this as Memento meets Dracula and that’s absolutely accurate. The Crime Fiction vibes that Wehunt delivers in this are excellent, and the way he blends in the Horror, OMG, it’s so good.

I would comp this to titles such as Coffin Moon by Keith Rosson, Bone White by Ronald Malfi, The Devil Takes You Home by Gabino Iglesias, Blood Like Mine by Stuart Neville, or even The Outsider by Stephen King.

If you’re a fan of novels like this, mixing gritty Crime Fiction with potentially Supernatural Horror, I would absolutely recommend that you check out Nightjars.

Additionally, I highly recommend the audio format of this book. It’s dual narrated by Matt Godfrey and Zura Johnson, providing the voices for Luke and Kristen respectively. There’s also some disturbing voice effects in some of the creepier moments. I was jump scared more than once when they would pop up, which was fun.

Overall, this is such a riveting read. I got to the end and let out the proverbial breath I didn’t realize I’d been holding. It was that powerful and compelling. I loved it.

Thank you so much to the publisher, St. Martin’s Press and Macmillan Audio, for providing me copies to read and review. I definitely need to pick up a hard copy of this one for my collection. After this, I cannot wait to see what Wehunt comes up with next!

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Review: That Which Feeds Us b Keala Kendall

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That Which Feeds UsThat Which Feeds Us by Keala Kendall
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

That Which Feeds US is a Gothic Hawaiian YA Horror story that follows a young woman, Lehua, searching for her missing twin sister, Ohia.

Lehua and Ohia, like many other native Hawaiians, are part of the Hawaiian diaspora, meaning they no longer live in their ancestral homelands. Lehua and Ohia were moved to Arizona by their Mom, and spent a good part of their childhoods living there with their grandparents.

Meanwhile, back in Hawaii, the home of generations of their family, luxury resort locations abound, providing dream vacations for the world’s wealthiest citizens.

Kōpaʻa Island Resort is just one of those exclusive destinations, and Lehua discovers it’s also Ohia’s last known location. She ends up following her sister’s trail there. The luxury wellness retreat is known for its persimmon orchard and promises of rejuvenation.

There’s no wifi, and no cell service. Visitors are completely cut off from the rest of civilization. While the rich and famous may find this refreshing, Lehua finds it unsettling and stifling. Nevertheless, she has to see it out. She needs to find Ohia and this could be her only chance.

As Lehua investigates, she learns more than she ever expected about the former plantation’s dark past, as well as the history of the people that lived there. Through haunting visions and mysterious warnings, Lehua fights to find the one she loves, but will she be successful, or end up swallowed up like so many others before her?

This is an important story, and it’s equally a very good story. This is representation that we don’t see a lot of, or at least I haven’t come across a lot of it, particularly in the YA Horror, or Thriller/Dark Fiction space.

I feel like I first heard the term, ‘priced out of paradise’, when Iam Tongi, a Hawaiian singer, who was a contestant on American Idol, mentioned it when explaining to the judges why he and his family no longer lived in his native state. This novel does an amazing job of exploring that very real life concern of many native Hawaiians.

I love Iam Tongi, and I’m so grateful that he won. I hope he’s been able to fulfill his dream of moving his family back to Hawaii, but not a lot of people are going to blessed enough to come into the kind of success he has in order to move back with costs the way they are currently.

In this story, Lehua and Ohia are orphaned by the time they’re teens. They come up in a system that has no connection to their cultural heritage. Ohia, in an effort to reconnect with their past, finds a spot working in this resort that’s essentially exploiting the lands of her ancestors. That was her only choice, she felt.

I liked how Kendall framed this story as Lehua’s hunt for Ohia. I think that set up really well a situation where Lehua could travel to this place and really dig into all aspects of it in order to find clues of Ohia’s fate. With this, it was an easy jump for Kendall to incorporate the real life horrors of the colonial past of the island, and the true ramifications it had on generations to come.

For me, that was the aspect I most appreciated about this novel. The exploration of those topics and the way that Lehua was able to come face to face with those realities via her investigation.

The weaker points for me were the pacing and the descriptions of the horror bits. I found the plot to be a bit meandering and I would have liked Kendall to lean even more into the botanical side of the horror elements, or as an alternative, more into a sense of place for the resort.

The horror at the resort, or the unsettling aspects of the resort, seemed to be the people. It wasn’t as much for me the atmosphere that was making it disturbing. I would have liked even more exploration of things that Lehua was feeling, smelling, sensing just around the place in general.

However, this has excellent bones and I think for Young Readers, the audience for which it is intended, this could be an incredible introduction to Supernatural Thrillers.

I also think there should be a copy of this in every high school library in the country for teens to have access to this type of critical representation.

Thank you so much to the publisher, Random House Books for Young Readers, for providing me with a copy to read and review. I’m definitely planning to read more from Keala Kendall and I hope she keeps on this same track. I’m sure we’re going to have a long and beautiful relationship.

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Teddy Bears Never Die by Cho Yeeun

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Teddy Bears Never DieTeddy Bears Never Die by Yeeun Cho
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Teddy Bears Never Die is a translated Horror novel that follows a girl set on revenge, who pairs up with a possessed teddy bear in order to get it. Sound intriguing? I agree.

Hwayoung is the young woman in question, and the revenge she seeks is in regards to her mother’s death.

There was a mass-poisoning attack at the Seaview Parc, a luxury high-rise apartment residence, and her mother was reportedly one of the victims.

The poison was said to have been transmitted via tainted rice cakes, but Hwayoung knows that her mother hated rice cakes. Like really, truly hated them. There’s no way she would have eaten rice cakes willingly.

Hwayoung is determined to find out the truth of what happened to her mother, and bring those responsible to justice. This type of thing takes money though. Something she doesn’t really have, but she’s been hustling hard, saving her pennies, and her determination is unwavering.

As for the teddy bear, you’ll need to read it to figure that out.

I enjoyed this. The concept is great and I feel like Cho Yeeun explored some very heavy topics with grace and care, however that’s where I sort of lost interest, for lack of a better way to describe it.

It’s hard to explain. I appreciate the topics explored, however for me, when I was picking this up, I thought it was going to be light, fast-paced, fun and gruesome.

Even though I’ve been told my whole life, never judge a book by its cover, clearly I do. Because of this, I had a sort of expectations versus reality face slap with this one.

Nevertheless, a 3.5-star rating is a good rating. It’s a great book, just my personal experience with it wasn’t as high as I expected. Now that I have a better understanding of the author’s style though, I think future works that I pick up from her will be a better experience for me.

I would recommend this. As mentioned the concept is great and the hard-hitting topics, if expected, I think could make this a memorable reading experience. I think this would be an excellent fit for Readers who enjoy more Literary Horror.

Thank you to the publisher, Run For It, for providing me a copy to read and review. I’m happy to have been introduced to Yeeun’s work. I’m looking forward to more.

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Review: I Know a Place: Rest Stop and Other Dark Detours by Nat Cassidy

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I Know a Place: Rest Stop and Other Dark DetoursI Know a Place: Rest Stop and Other Dark Detours by Nat Cassidy
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I Know a Place: Rest Stop and Other Dark Detours is a Horror short story collection from Nat Cassidy. This collection starts out with his previously published novella, Rest Stop.

Somehow, it’s unclear to me how, I hadn’t yet read Rest Stop prior to this, and I loved it. What a way to kick off a collection. It really set the tone for the numerous stories that would come thereafter.

I loved the variety in this collection, but also the overriding theme of these locations. I felt like it was a clever idea to frame a collection around. I really enjoy reading fiction with a true sense of place, think The Overlook in The Shining, a place that becomes a character unto itself.

And while not every story reached that level of place for me, I think you could see the idea of that in each story. How these various places, most seemingly normal, under the right circumstances could bring all the horror we crave.

So many of these stories gave me thrills and chills. I was locked in once I started, excited to see what each new story was going to present.

The audiobook was also very well done. There were some cool, fun sound and voice effects, and I felt that helped to elevate a few of these stories for me. My favorite was Laughlines. I love Epistolary format anyway, and found that one to be creepy AF.

I would definitely recommend this collection, both to fans of Cassidy, and to new Readers of his work. I think this could be a great introduction to his writing style if you’ve never read from him before.

Thank you to the publisher, Shortwave, for providing me with a copy to read and review. As always, please be sure to read Cassidy’s Author’s Note, and in this case, Story Notes. He’s the king of the Author’s Note for me.

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Review: Turn Off the Light at Jacquie Walters

~ megs14malloy

Turn Off the Light: A NovelTurn Off the Light: A Novel by Jacquie Walters
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Turn Off the Light is a Horror novel from Jacquie Walters that blends many different subgenres. It’s part Domestic, part Paranomal Mystery, part Historical, part Thiller and part Haunted House. That sounds like a lot, but I felt like Walters effortlessly put it all together.

This engrossing story is set on the Coast of Virginia, and features both a past and present perspective. I didn’t know what to expect going in, I’m not even sure I read the synopsis, but I ended up really, really enjoying it.

At the heart of the story is one of my favorite tropes, a character returning to their hometown after a long period away, and ending up embroiled in some sort of mystery.

We follow Claire, who is returning to her childhood home to assist her sister and bro-in-law with the care of their ailing father. The house itself has a lot of history, and something about it has Claire unsettled. She’s not sleeping well, hearing things and sensing things that may, or may not, be there.

Walters also brings us a past perspective, Edith, a healer with knowledge that isn’t necessarily encouraged, or appreciated, by her tight-knit, religious community.

Edith’s perspective, as a woman working with natural healing in the past, goes about as well as you would expect. She faces many discriminations against her, but she’s still driven to help all she can with her unique skills.

As a Reader, it’s clear that these two women, they’re going to be connected, but how is it even possible?

Walters succeeded in pulling me along, into both Claire and Edith’s lives, as we barrelled towards the answers held within the conclusion.

Walters did a great job of presenting both the current perspective and the historical perspective, and ultimately connecting them. I enjoyed Dearest, it was fine, but this one was definitely more to my taste as far as content.

I did feel a bit more intrigued by Claire’s perspective, but Edith’s was necessary in order to make the story work. This was reminiscent to me of things I have enjoyed from Jennifer McMahon and Simon St. James, so if you’re a fan of those authors, I would recommend checking this out.

There was quite a bit of mystery as well, and Walters did a great job at pacing the reveals. At no point did I feel like I knew all of the answers. I didn’t know what was happening until Walters was ready to show me, which was nice.

Thank you to the publisher, Little, Brown and Company, for providing me with a copy to read and review. I’m jazzed about my experience with this one.

I’m definitely looking forward to picking up more from Jacquie Walters. I’d love to see more from her in this lane.

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Review: Nightmare on Nightmare Street by R.L. Stine

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Nightmare on Nightmare StreetNightmare on Nightmare Street by R.L. Stine
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

**3.5-stars rounded up**

I found Nightmare on Nightmare Street to be such a joy to read. It’s like Stine took all of his favorite tropes from the Goosebumps series and mixed them all together into one Spooky story that’s perfect for a young audience.

Stine pulled every weapon out of his bag of tricks for this one, but instead of feeling like a big ole’ mess, it actually felt well-constructed, engaging and like a true nightmare come to life for these kid characters.

The audiobook had fabulous narration. It made the story extra engaging. Great work by Dan Bittner, and I enjoyed the Foreward by James Murray as well.

In the story, we follow two separate sibling duos, Joe and Sadie, and Sean and Addie. I had the most fun with Sean’s perspective. Some of the things he experienced, I could see how that would super freak you out as a kid.

Actually, even thinking about some of it as an Adult freaked me out a little bit, NGL.

There’s one school day in particular, that Sean had, each new event got more startling and honestly, by the time he reached home at the end of the day, I did actually have goosebumps. That was a super fun section.

Overall, this is a strong showing for Stine, IMO. It’s perfect for kids who love a bit of spookiness in their lives. I’d highly recommend this for the young readers in your life, or for yourself, if you’re like me and love staying young at heart through spooky-ooky reads!

Thank you to the publisher, Blackstone Publishing, for providing me with a copy to read and review. This was cute and fun. I’m glad I picked it up!

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