horror

Review: The Secret Dinner by Raphael Montes

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The Secret Dinner: A NovelThe Secret Dinner: A Novel by Raphael Montes
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

**4.5-stars**

When I picked up The Secret Dinner, I’ll be honest, I expected a typical dinner party Thriller, but Raphael Montes definitely had something different in mind.

I went on a journey with these characters and could not put this down once I started it. This is Hostel II meets Tender is the Flesh, dishing up plenty of food for thought.

This story was originally published in 2016, but has just recently been translated to English. It follows four friends living together in Rio, who find themselves in dire straights and in desperate need of money.

Through a series of interesting interactions, they develop an unorthodox plan to get the funds they need, but it’s not exactly above-board. They decide to host secret dinner parties, a recent trend among the elite, and it sucks them into dark places they never expected to find themselves in.

What starts as a bit of a half-joke, ‘get rich quick scheme’, quickly spirals out of control. Our main narrator is Dante, and he relays to us just how wildly-unruly their lives become because of these parties.

They started on a slippery slope as is, and are now steamrolling downhill with haste. I couldn’t believe the lengths they were going to, and it certainly pushed their friendships past the limit.

When I got to the concluding bits, I was shook. I loved how far Montes took this. I get this might not be for everyone, but as a Horror Reader, it’s definitely to my tastes.

I would compare the dark and gritty nature of this story to something like The Devil Takes You Home by Gabino Iglesias, or Coffin Moon by Keith Rosson.

The characters here, as in both of the stories mentioned above, are so well-developed. Their desperate circumstances were understandable, but man, the lengths they went to in order to get out of them…yikes.

The Epilogue had my jaw on the floor. I actually read it twice, because it was that good. I couldn’t believe it. I never saw what was revealed coming. Well done, Montes. Well done.

I would recommend the audiobook as well if you’re going to pick this one up. I thought the narration by Andre Bellido and André Santana felt so authentic and true to the story. It felt like I was listening to a friend telling me a story of something wild that had happened to them.

And when I say wild, I mean, WILDDDD!

Thank you so much to the publisher, Macmillan Audio and Celadon Books, for providing me with copies to read and review. This was such a surprising treat.

I’m so happy to have read it!

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Review: Carry Me to My Grave by Christopher Golden

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Carry Me to My Grave: A NovelCarry Me to My Grave: A Novel by Christopher Golden
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

**4.5-stars**

Wow, this was excellent. A brutal and bloody road trip story that I never saw coming!

I’ll be honest, I don’t think I read the synopsis prior to picking this up. I see Christopher Golden’s name on a cover, and that’s enough for me.

I don’t want to say too much about the plot either, as I feel like it’s best just to be swept up into the story knowing as little as possible. However, I will give you a few key points in the hopes of intriguing you enough to pick it up.

This is set in the U.S. in the 1950s, and we follow Malcolm and his sister-in-law, Violet, after Malcolm’s Mom, Maggie, passes away. On her deathbed, Malcolm promised her that he would see her body safely buried in the ground of the town of her birth, Shediak, Maine.

They have a timeline, a very specific and important timeline, and are to make their way to Maine via train, all the way from the middle of the country.

Maggie’s death has awoken an ancient evil, buried in the ground. It’s risen, with the sole aim of preventing Maggie’s burial at Shediak. Needless to say, Malcolm and Violet’s journey is not going to be an easy one.

By 25% in, my jaw was on the floor. What in the heck was going on? It was insane, but I was here for it. I popped my popcorn and settled in for the wild ride Golden was setting up to take me on.

I loved the historical setting and how we got to travel via train for a good part of the story. It also took modern tech, like cell phones and GPS tracking out of the equation, which was refreshing, IMO. I think Golden did a phenomenal job of setting the scene and sticking with it.

I became completely immersed in the story. The direction it went, I was not expecting at all. It was so good. I was feeling pretty bleak for a while for these characters, and upon completion, yeah, still sort of bleak, but I love the way Golden concluded it.

There were a couple of sections I felt dragged a little, and then towards the end, a couple sections that were so chaotic, I had a hard time picturing the action. Overall though, a very well-rounded, horrific story. I loved the level of blood and gore brought to the page, and how intense it felt.

Even in the quieter moments, there was an overriding sense of urgency due to the extremely high stakes. That made it a very fun reading experience.

Thank you to the publisher, St. Martin’s Press, for providing me with a copy to read and review. Christopher Golden is one of my go-to Horror authors, and I love checking out his latest works.

You never know quite what you’re going to get!

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Review: An Immaculate Deception by Isabela Livino

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An Immaculate DeceptionAn Immaculate Deception by Isabela Livino
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

**3.5-stars rounded up**

An Immaculate Deception is a debut Historical Horror novel from Isabela Livino. This book is set in 1870s-Brazil, where we meet and follow a woman named Madalena.

Madalena has fallen in love with a dashing young man, and as sometimes happens, finds herself pregnant, out of wedlock. Having been raised in a strict and religious household, Madalena fears her mother’s head could actually explode when she learns Madalena’s secret.

After Madalena confesses, her Mom’s head doesn’t explode, but she does put up a forceful ultimatum: marry, or surrender the baby.

Madalena feels confident that the baby’s daddy, Leandro, will do the right thing when he hears the news. He’s bound to propose. He loves her. Yeah, yeah, he loves her.

She picks a night to tell him, and just as she’s about to share the news, a terrible storm sweeps in and causes the carriage they’re traveling in to careen off the road.

Awakening after the accident, Madalena finds herself in a bed at Leandro’s secluded estate. She’s being looked over by a Doctor Lobo, and she let’s him know she’s pregnant, to which he’s surprised.

Leandro is also there, but he doesn’t seem the same since the accident. His personality has completely changed. No longer the charming and affectionate lover she once knew, he’s now glowering and always watching.

It’s not just Leandro though, the house itself sets Madalena on edge. She fears it’s haunted. There’s phantom smells, things disappearing, a startling lack of mirrors. She begins to fear Leandro and Doctor Lobo as well. She doesn’t trust them at all. She feels trapped.

She’s got to figure out what’s happening here and get away before it’s too late. It’s not just herself she needs to think about, but also her unborn child. It’s a race against the clock for Madalena; one girl against the world.

This was good. I enjoyed my time with it, and while it didn’t necessarily blow me away, I feel like it’s a strong debut novel. I was particularly intrigued in the 1st-half. It was mysterious and I enjoyed the descriptions of Leandro’s house and the things going on there.

Additionally, there was shift at one point that really surprised me, and I loved that the author chose to set the narrative up the way that she did. It made the reveals more impactful, IMO.

There were some aspects that I found odd and slightly-confusing, but for the most part it had a solid premise, good characters and lightly-creepy vibes.

I would recommend this to fans of The Hacienda, or Mexican Gothic. I think if you like those sort of Gothic Historical Horror stories, this could work for you as well.

I will say, I do feel a little weird about the cover. Speaking of The Hacienda. I feel like perhaps they hit a little to close to Isabel Cañas’s cover style. As soon as I saw this, I thought, does Isabel Cañas have a book coming out that I don’t know about?

I feel like it’s sort of her thing now to have this beautiful, artistic covers with a lone woman in a red dress, especially outside, with some sort of weather brewing, and that’s exactly what this is. I just wish they would have gone in a different direction, as it feels a little copy-catty.

With this being said, this isn’t a review of the Publisher’s choice of cover, it’s a review of the story itself, and that’s what I’ve based my rating on.

Thank you to the publisher, Dutton, for providing me with a copy to read and review. I would definitely pick up more from Isabela Livino in the future.

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Review: She’s a Doll by Barbara Truelove

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She's a DollShe’s a Doll by Barbara Truelove
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

She’s a Doll follows Lucy McQuinn, who is not like other girls main characters. Even though she’s smart and sweet, Lucy doesn’t quite fit in with her contemporaries.

The thing that really sets her apart though, happens after she’s murdered by a vile man named Kyle. At the time of her death, her soul takes possession of an 18-inch porcelain doll and she’s ticked.

Vowing to get revenge, Lucy, in her new form, wants to find Kyle and end his life like he ended hers. That proves tricky though. Her size and the fact that she’s made of porcelain, it all works against her. She’s gonna need some help.

Lucy turns to Nicola, a gal she knew in life, a fellow outsider, and someone who also hates Kyle. Understandably, it’s initially difficult to get Nicola to believe what she’s hearing and seeing. I mean, can you imagine a doll coming to you and proposing you work together to kill someone?

We then follow their friendship and their mission, as both women grapple with the unfairness of it all. Will Lucy be able to find the peace she deserves, or will she be forced to stalk the Earth an angry doll forever?

This is such a creative story. I enjoyed it so much. With the synopsis, I wasn’t sure how campy Truelove would end up taking it, as I’ve never read from her before, so was unsure of her style. I was impressed with the nuance in the story, and appreciated all that Truelove brought to the table here.

It’s actually a really nice blend of humor with darker, more serious topics that were thoughtfully explored. It actually packs quite the punch emotionally, and had quieter moments that definitely pulled at my heartstrings.

The audiobook, narrated by Tegan Bourke, was super fun and I definitely recommend that format if you have it available to you. Tegan’s accent and delivery were perfect for Lucy’s character. The narration added such life to the story, and I found it very believable.

Overall, I think this is a great book, offering up much more depth than I initially anticipated. Readers are going to love it. A perfect read for your Spooky Season.

Thank you to the publisher, Dreamscape Media and Bindery Books, for providing me with copies to read and review. I’m so stoked to read more from this author!

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Review: Marion by Leah Rowan

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Marion by Lean Rowan is a modern-feminist retelling of Robert Bloch’s 1959-Horror Classic, Psycho. Rowan’s version is the Villain Flip that I never knew I needed.

I enjoyed this a lot. More than I expected actually. I appreciated Rowan’s creativity, as well as all the nods she gave to the original story whilst truly making it her own.

We follow two perspectives, “Marion”, which was the name of the MC in Hitchcock’s adaptation of the novel, though Bloch’s original protagonist was Mary, and a young private investigator named Hannah.

Marion works at an ad agency in NYC, and ends up having a large sum of money come into her possession, given to her by her boss to deposit, and decides, after a hassle at the bank, to take the money and use it to help her sister, Lauren.

She flees with the money on a bus to Saratoga Springs, but the bus ends up breaking down and she finds herself stranded, late at night, far from her final destination.

It’s through this series of unfortunate events that Marion eventually finds herself at the small roadside motel that’s own and run by Norm.

From there things evolve fairly true to the original, but when the infamous shower scene kicks off, Marion gets the upper hand, kicking Norm in the balls, grabbing the knife and stabbing the life out of him.

Now Marion’s not just a thief, she’s a murderer as well. My, my, my, how quickly things can escalate.

Hannah, the private investigator, is on the hunt for a missing girl named Emily. She’s dogged in her efforts and ends up at the hotel in the aftermath of what went down with Marion.

These two perspectives weave back and forth, building out the bigger picture and carrying us towards the wild, and IMO, satisfying conclusion.

I did definitely enjoy Marion’s perspective more, but I always like an investigator as well, and Hannah supplied that for me. I would say some of the messaging from Hannah’s perspective was a little heavy-handed, but for the most part, it was well-done.

Personally, I wish it would have been set in the same time period as the original, the modern setting and the incorporation of Covid, was sort of a downer for me. I also feel like the twist of Marion getting the upper hand would have been more impactful in a historical setting.

Other than those minor things, I think this is a great debut. I loved the creativity and the way Rowan played true homage to the original, while also making it enough of her own story to feel original. I’m looking forward to reading more from her.

Thank you to the publisher, St. Martin’s Press and Macmillan Audio, for providing me with copies to read and review. It’s a macabre delight!

Review: The Flayed Man by Chloe Lauter

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The Flayed Man: A NovelThe Flayed Man: A Novel by Chloe Lauter
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The Flayed Man features a complex Mother-Daughter relationship, and is set against the stark landscape of the Mojave Desert in Nevada.

Ellis, our protagonist, works in triage in the ER at nights and she’s also a full-time caregiver for her Mom, whose health is spiraling. But the reasons behind her Mom’s health decline are not the typical ones you would expect.

Sure, it’s partially early onset dementia, but the root cause of it is what Ellis considers their family curse. They must feed daily on blood, or risk very heinous repercussions.

When Ellis’s Uncle, who is normally their main source for their blood supply disappears, Ellis has to quickly find a new source before her Mom’s condition gets worse.

She pairs up with a snarky paramedic, who she finds intriguing for all sorts of reasons, and they set out across the desert in search of blood. While on this dark and terrible adventure, Ellis discovers that the legend of the Flayed Man, that her Mom always told her, may in fact be true.

Ellis is now trying to navigate a new relationship, while not giving away all their family secrets, and revealing her true nature to her crush.

When blood hunger starts to overtake her, it becomes a battle to hold onto her humanity. Will she be successful in her endeavors, or will the deep dark finally overtake her?

I really liked this. The writing was great and I found myself completely invested in the story. It really creeped up on me. This isn’t your typical Vampire story, and I appreciated the emotional depth Lauter brought to it.

It’s such a beautiful examination of Ellis’s relationship with her Mom, but also an exploration of herself and what she ultimately wants in her life. For anyone with aging parents, what’s happening with her Mom may hit especially hard.

This is a Horror novel reminiscent of Mongrels by Stephen Graham Jones. It reminded me a lot of that book, as far as the tone and the family elements went; the exploration of duty to family, and self-discovery.

I would recommend this to anyone who is looking for a gruesome yet deeply thought-provoking read. This is gory, don’t let the cover fool you. There’s a lot of Body Horror and I felt like it was very well-executed.

Thank you to the publisher, Tantor Media, for providing me with a copy to read and review. The audiobook is very well done. I’m looking forward to more from this author!

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Review: Marla by Jonathan Janz

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MarlaMarla by Jonathan Janz
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Marla is set in the small town of King’s Branch. Many small towns, as a lot of us know, have their own local legends and lore, spooky houses to avoid and things of that nature.

For King’s Branch, it’s Marla Gorman. Marla is a teen girl who lives with her Mom in a rickety farmhouse on the edge of town. She seems harmless enough by that description, but Marla is a recluse, which makes people wonder. No one ever sees her out and about, but plenty of rumors circulate about her and her mother as you would expect.

On the night of the first murder our main character, Detective Carl Lancaster, catches sight of Marla leering down at him from a window of her home. Though seemingly insignificant, the momentary interaction leaves him chilled.

The night of the second murder, Detective Lancaster sees Marla again. This time under more unsettling circumstances, and the interaction happened at the exact moment of the second man’s death. Even though they were far away from the murder scene, Lancaster is confident Marla’s involved somehow and he won’t stop until he figures out how.

We don’t just follow Detective Lancaster’s perspective however, we get a few other perspectives as well, which really enhanced the feel of this whole town being involved in this unraveling drama.

None of them could’ve anticipated the truth about Marla. That’s only clear as the action escalates and we get more detailed glimpses into Marla’s dark and secretive world. The truth was certainly not what I expected.

I had a lot of fun with this book. It definitely has an 80s/90s Horror vibe to it that I loved. The action kicks off quickly, and it’s pedal to the floor the whole way.

There’s a lot of action and the tension steadily increases throughout. I enjoyed Detective Lancaster’s perspective a lot. He’s a very likable MC, and I was rooting for him to succeed.

I think Janz did a great job creating this town, and all the various residents as well. The legend of Marla felt real, and for anyone who has ever lived in a small town, I think you’ll find those aspects believable.

The way the other townsfolk were curious about Marla and her Mom, and all their many speculations, I could definitely picture that happening IRL.

I easily read this in a day, and yeah, it ended up being just what I was hoping for. Will it be for everyone? Certainly not, but luckily it worked for me and my tastes in more vintage feeling Horror.

I haven’t read a Jonathan Janz novel in many years, and this was a great reminder that I need to pick up more. I’ve been exploring his backlist to see what I need to get to next.

Thank you to the publisher, Blackstone Publishing, for providing me with a copy to read and review. This is an exciting ride, and I’m very happy to have made time for it. Marla is a memorable girl!

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Review: Cross My Heart, I Hope You Die by Mallory Arnold

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Cross My Heart, I Hope You Die: A NovelCross My Heart, I Hope You Die: A Novel by Mallory Arnold
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

**3.5-stars**

Cross My Heart, I Hope You Die follows three women, Cham, Ruby and Nora, who through a very odd twist of fate, all discover that they’re dating the same man.

None of the three had any idea, or suspicions. He’s that good of a liar, apparently. Furious and disappointed, the three get together and over drinks hatch a revenge plot.

They lure him to a remote cabin at the top of a snow-covered mountain, planning to scare the living daylights out of him. Things don’t go quite as planned, and he’s killed, but no one is admitting to the dastardly deed.

They’re stranded at this cabin now, at least for the overnight and suspicions are starting to grow. How well do they even know each other? They just met.

With pressure mounting, they need to figure out if one of them is a murderer, or if they’re not as alone on this mountain as they thought they were.

I had fun with this, I did. The beginning, in particular, I found so intriguing. Did Arnold ultimately do too much, though? That’s the question I’m asking myself.

When do we cross from camp to cheese? I feel like at a certain point, this novel sort of crossed that line into less enjoyable territory for me.

There’s no denying that it’s an entertaining story and I did enjoy it more than Arnold’s last book. I love an upward trajectory with an author. I think this had a fun concept and some truly gripping scenes.

At the end of the day, it was a bit uneven for me though, as far as my enjoyment level. Therefore, I feel like the 3.5-star rating is the most fair.

This is purely an assessment based on personal taste though, and I know so many Readers have loved this one. I’m down for anything Arnold writes next. This had a lot of great aspects, and is sure to bring some chills into your life.

Thank you to the publisher, Poisoned Pen Press, for providing me with a copy to read and review. Overall, I had a good time with this. It’s a fun Winter Thriller!

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Review: Futility by Nuzo Onoh

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FutilityFutility by Nuzo Onoh
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Honestly, this is one of the weirdest books I’ve EVER read, and I read a lot of strange stuff; a lot of extreme stuff. Futility has left it’s mark on me, that’s for sure.

I was instantly attracted to this cover. Look at it!

I loved the Nigerian setting, and the two MCs, Chia and Claire, were about as fascinating as you’re going to get. You’re in their heads, and it’s frankly, not a fun place to be, but I could not stop.

The writing is so unapologetic. There’s no censoring what these two, I’ll be honest, pretty horrible human beings were thinking all the time. Onoh was really in your face with it, and I respect that.

I’m not saying these ladies didn’t have their reasons, or motivations, for being the way they were, but yeah, pretty much zero redeeming qualities.

There were also elements, that helped drive the plot, that I was so surprised by; that I wasn’t expecting. Without giving too much away, it’s a kind of folkloric element that I felt really pulled all the aspects of the story together. Without sounding too old, it was very cool.

This is the first I’ve ever read from Nuzo Onoh, but it’s not going to be the last. I would recommend this for fans of Weird Fiction, particularly of the graphic variety. I would caution others that it’s very strange and quite detailed in its gorier bits. Tread with caution.

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Review: A Penance for Crows by Shannon Morgan

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A Penance for CrowsA Penance for Crows by Shannon Morgan
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

**4.5-stars**

A Penance for Crows is a modern Gothic Horror novel that feels like it’s been torn from the past. The novel takes place on the Irish island of Beanna Dubh, set off the Southern tip of the Beara Peninsula. The community is quite insular. They like to keep to themselves.

In fact, there are many on the island who have never even been to the mainland. Untouched by modern technology, the islanders live under strict rule of the church.

As a people, they adhere to many superstitions. The island is also home to thousands of crows, so that fact only enhances those creepy vibes, with the islanders believing the crows are harbingers of coming disaster.

Our MC, Grizela, fled to the island 40-years ago, leaving her native-Glasgow, and her unsettling past well behind her. Though Grizela has been on the island for decades, she’s still considered an outsider by many.

She has been able to forge some strong connections with the young folks on the island though, who she treats as her own. Many of them confide in her things they wouldn’t trust telling their parents, or other elders.

Our action kicks off when Grizela discovers the dead body of the island’s young priest with a diabolical symbol drawn on his chest. Crows darken the sky, and Grizela fears there’s a different kind of darkness now among them.

As the mysterious symbols continue popping up randomly, and more residents meet terrible ends, the islanders’ suspicious fall on Grizela. She’s the outsider, after all.

Mass hysteria quickly takes over and Grizela is scrambling to prove her innocence. During her investigations into these disturbing happenings, she begins to learn new, and startling, information about a group of young women she has previously taken under her wings.

If you follow my reviews at all, you may know that I’m an Atmosphere Girlie through and through. I read to escape, and I particularly love remote settings with an overriding ominous air about them. IMO, this novel delivered that to me exactly as I wanted.

I was so invested in A Penance for Crows. This Occult Horror novel with strong Gothic atmosphere swept me up in the drama of the small island of Beanna Dubh.

I loved the MC, Grizela, who is in her early-60s, which in and of itself was refreshing. I also related to her experience on the island, as far as ‘being from away’ and no matter how long she’s there, she’s still considered an outsider. As an island girl myself, I get it.

Morgan created a great cast of characters in this noveal and the intrigue is excellent. Things keep happening and there’s an awesome feeling of ‘is it supernatural, is it not supernatural’ about it that I always appreciate it.

There were so many twists and turns, and as soon as I thought I knew who, or what, was behind all the mysterious happenings on the island, something new would occur that would blow my theory out of the water.

I loved the Occult elements that Morgan included. I feel like those made the novel so much more beguiling. That type of element rarely gets executed like it was here, in a fully believable, non-cheesy, way and I was living for it.

I highly recommend this to any Gothic, or Atmosphere, Girlies in the crowd. If you’re looking for that atmosphere, this is absolutely going to deliver it to you.

Thank you to the publisher, Kensington, for providing me a copy to read and review. I’m so impressed by this and cannot wait to read more from Shannon Morgan. I really hope she stays in this lane, because it’s fabulous!

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