horror

Review: The Bloody Brick Road by Maude Royer

~ megs14malloy

The Bloody Brick Road: A Wizard of Oz Retelling (Volume 1)The Bloody Brick Road: A Wizard of Oz Retelling by Maude Royer
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

I feel robbed. I wanted a bloody and brutal Wizard of Oz retelling; thinking Slasher Horror, or something equally exciting and got nothing of the sort.

Giving a character the name Dorothy and incorporating red shoes, does not a Wizard of Oz retelling make. At the end of the day, this story felt like it was searching for an identity and required further edits.

The 1st-sentence of the Publisher’s synopsis I read states, ‘In this wildly creative, horror-soaked reimagining of L. Frank Baum’s The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, nothing is as it seems in Dorothy’s dystopian nightmare.‘

Whoever wrote this, you lie. 1. This isn’t wildly-creative. 2. This is hardly a reimagining of L. Frank Baum’s The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. 3. This doesn’t feel dystopian at all.

Things you got right: 1. It’s a nightmare.

I’m not going to drag this out. It wasn’t for me. I’m sad I wasted 6-hours reading it, but am happy to be moving on. If it was going to go the Extreme Horror route, which it seemed it wanted to take due to the graphic fetish elements, it needed to lean much further in to get there.

The sad part is, there were inklings of a solid Serial Killer Police Procedural in here, but mashing it together with the other elements, it just didn’t work. It needed to be one or the other, or perhaps better blended than it was.

Overall, a very uneven read, nothing like what I was pitched. The dialogue was forced and laughable, and the graphic sexual elements felt absolutely ridiculous in this story.

Thank you to Gallery Books for the copy.

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Review: Black Flame by Gretchen Felker-Martin

~ megs14malloy

Black FlameBlack Flame by Gretchen Felker-Martin
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

**2.5-stars rounded up**

Black Flame is a Horror novella from Gretchen Felker-Martin. I’ve read two full length novels from GFM, Manhunt and Cuckoo, both of which I really enjoyed.

Unfortunately, this is my least favorite work from her and I can’t even really express why. It just didn’t quite hit the mark for me. I never felt like I connected with the story enough to know what the hell was going on.

In fact, in the synopsis it’s described as being a historical horror novel, and I don’t even remember it being so. The story does follow a woman named Ellen, who works, I believe restoring, or archiving old films.

Ellen starts working on an infamous exploitation film called The Baroness, which was long thought destroyed in a fire by Nazis. As Ellen works on the film, the scenes, the essence of the film, begin to poison her mind.

She becomes convinced the film is real, and that it’s happening to her. She’s having visions, hearing voices, and unsurprisingly, her life begins to spiral out of control.

That’s a great concept. I love the sound of it. As I was reading this though, it was very hard to follow. I did get snippets of what’s described above, but it was a challenge to track what was going on, and difficult to visualize what Ellen was seeing, feeling and going through.

As always, Gretchen Felker-Martin includes very heavy and important examinations of gender and identity, and those were certainly an important piece of this story. Ellen’s character arc feels like a real transformation over the course of the action, and I did appreciate that as well.

In fact, I buddy read this one with a friend, and commented when we were done, how I wished this had been longer, because the final bits were where it really started to come together for me. I wanted more of that clarity, not just for me, but for Ellen as well.

I guess the best way I can describe my experience with this would be uneven. I’m used to feeling more drawn in, and connected throughout GFM’s works, so I think that’s why I walked away a little unsatisfied.

Nevertheless, Gretchen Felker-Martin will always get extra points from me for her insane-levels of creativity and the fact that she always brings something new to the table. While not my favorite from her, I am glad I read it, and look forward to Felker-Martin’s next release.

Thank you to the publisher, Tor Nightfire and Macmillan Audio, for providing me with a copy to read and review. The audiobook was very well narrated by Dana Aronowitz. They definitely brought it to life!

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Review: Welcome to the Ghost Show by J.W. Ocker

~ megs14malloy

Welcome to the Ghost ShowWelcome to the Ghost Show by J.W. Ocker
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Welcome to the Ghost Show is a Middle Grade Horror novel that took me completely by surprise.

I’m not even sure I ever actually read the synopsis. It was offered to me, I took once glance at this cover and said, absolutely, I’ll read that!

This story follows Hazel, known as Zel, and her two best friends, Theo and Lucien, who are the only members of their self-created Creepy Club. The purpose of the club is ghost investigations, and the trio is always looking for evidence of paranormal activity.

When a entity called the Ghost Show arrives in their town, people hardly know what to make of it. What is it exactly?

Zel and the boys have no idea, but Zel is still one of the first in line to find out. After all, it’s hard not to be drawn to the 5-story black skull that has just suddenly erected itself at the edge of town.

The Ghost Show is run by an Amadeus Everest Mancer, a carnival barker-type, who claims to be a ghost catcher. As the kids roam through the Ghost Show, they can hardly believe their eyes. The whole experience is outrageous, leaving them wondering, is any of it actually real?

When Mancer offers to show Zel a real ghost, and in fact the only ghost she would give anything to see, Zel quickly finds she’s let her desires get her in over her head.

Soon the entire town is infected by ghosts and it’s up to the Creepy Club to banish the Ghost Show and save everyone they know, but will they be able to fight back against Mancer’s frightening creations?

I’ll admit, I wouldn’t say this is a perfect book, but I just had such a wonderful time reading it, and that’s how I rate my books, on the experience. The first couple of chapters, I was worried. It did take me a minute to get used to the flow of the author’s writing, but man, did it end up pulling me in.

I worked a full day today; a full stressful day, and I still ended up reading this in its entirety. Once I started to get to know the Creepy Club, and the dangers they faced with the Ghost Show in town, I couldn’t put it down.

I feel like Ocker successfully channeled the 80s/90s Spooky Middle Grades vibes that I’m always looking for. And luckily, the writing is better than the majority of those books, but it still gave me such a nostalgic experience, which I adored.

I enjoyed the dark carnival atmosphere created via the Ghost Show. It gave it all an air of mystery and danger that I liked watching our characters interact with.

Also, the characters were so well done. They each have their own personal issues they’re working through, and you see how the creation of the Creepy Club was sort of a way for them to maybe not be so alone during difficult times.

I felt like Ocker did a great job of exploring those issues, and the friendship, while still keeping the intensity of the Horror aspects. IMO, that blending of the two was very well done and made the story feel more multi-layered.

My favorite character was Theo. He pretty much saw the world through the lens of his video recorder. He was filming everything and he frequently self-narrated things, and I found those narrations hilarious. I was frequently laughing out loud at the things he was saying, which made for a great break in the tension.

Overall, I feel like this is such a fun Spooky Middle Grade story. I would definitely recommend this to any MG Horror Reader. It’s fast-paced, engaging and fairly unique in the plot and conclusion. I’m so glad I picked it up. I need more from this author!

Thank you to the publisher, Storytide, for providing me with a copy to read and review. Come for the cover, stay for all the nostalgic vibes!!

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Review: Bat Eater and Other Names for Cora Zeng by Kylie Lee Baker

~ megs14malloy

Bat Eater and Other Names for Cora ZengBat Eater and Other Names for Cora Zeng by Kylie Lee Baker
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

**4.5-stars**

Bat Eat and Other Names for Cora Zeng can officially be noted as the only novel that features the backdrop of the COVID pandemic that I’ve actually enjoyed.

Many have tried it, but none, IMO, have been able to pull it off with the power and creativity of Kylie Lee Baker. I’ve been impressed by Baker’s writing in the past, and the fact that she could pull me into this so easily, is a testament to her spectacular writing chops.

In Bat Eater we follow Cora Zeng, who recently lost her sister, Delilah, after she was pushed in front of a train in a vacant subway station. Cora witnessed the whole thing, and will never forget the murderer uttering, ‘bat eater’, as he pushed the unsuspecting Delilah onto the tracks.

In her job as a crime scene cleaner, Cora, is used to cleaning away the goriest scenes that you could ever imagine, but her sister’s end is one brutal scene that will forever be seared into her brain.

As the pandemic continues around them, Cora and her two coworkers, Yifei and Harvey, get called to scene after scene of brutalized Asian women, where they’re also finding the bodies of bats. This cannot be a coincidence, can it?

They start to fear a killer could be targeting their community, but even if there is, what can they do about it?

In addition to the horrid crimes occurring all around them, Cora failed to adequately honor the Hungry Ghost Festival as her Aunt advised her to, and trust me, she should have. Unfortunately, it seems Cora’s gonna pay the price for that.

This story is exquisitely told. I feel like it won’t be for everyone, just due to the whole COVID-backdrop, but for the people who try it out, I think you’d be hard-pressed not to get pulled into Cora’s world.

I really enjoyed getting her experience and perspective, which although fictional, I’m sure is very much based in true life. Her relationship with her sister, aunts and co-workers, was also so well done and I liked watching the evolution of Cora’s character over the course of the story.

This isn’t an uplifting story, by any stretch of the imagination, but it has a lot of powerful moments examining society and humanity. I also, as always, was very impressed with Baker’s horror imagery. The descriptions and scene-setting truly make the story come to life.

In a way, I almost wanted more. There were certain areas that I would have enjoyed built-out even more than they were. For example, Cora’s relationships and interactions with her Aunts.

With this being said, having this short and punchy also made it highly-effective. The mystery and horror were equally intriguing. I listened to the audiobook, and would recommend that format, as I feel the narration style fit the story quite well.

Thank you to the publisher, MIRA and Harlequin Audio, for providing me copies to read and review. I was a fan of Kylie Lee Baker before, but this has taken her to a whole new level for me. I can’t wait to see what she does next!

.

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Review: They Fear Not Men in the Woods by Gretchen McNeil

~ megs14malloy

They Fear Not Men in the WoodsThey Fear Not Men in the Woods by Gretchen McNeil
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

They Fear Not Men in the Woods follows Jen Monroe, who returns to her hometown in rural Washington after receiving word that her father’s remains have been found.

Her Dad, a forest ranger and avid conservationist, went missing 7-years prior while out in the backwoods. He was a knowledgeable survivalist, and Jen has always held out hope that he was still alive somehow, but it’s hard to argue against a positive dental identification.

Jen returns home, not just to attend her father’s funeral services, but also determined to figure out what really happened to him after his disappearance.

The homecoming is awkward. She’s been estranged from her mother for years, and their reunion goes about as well as expected, but Jen also feels distant from her friends. She just feels so different from the girl she used to be.

Nevertheless, when her ex-boyfriend suggests a camping trip in honor of her father’s memory, Jen sees it as the perfect opportunity to get back into the forest and maybe find the truth about what happened to her Dad.

Unfortunately, the dangers lurking in the forest are darker and more dangerous than she ever expected and now all of their lives are at risk.

While this book started out fairly strong for me, in spite of how abrasive I found the MC to be, it was still looking like a possible 4-star read. Unfortunately, the farther I got into it, the more I started to dislike it, until it ended up falling off an absolute cliff for me.

By the end, I was just grateful it was over.

It’s impossible for me to really go into what I didn’t like about this one without giving anything away. The reveal of what was going on in the forest, that’s where my brain just turned off completely to this story. I hated it.

I feel like the direction this takes is going to end up being divisive for Readers. You’re either going to be into it, or you’re not. I don’t see a lot of room for middle of the road opinions on this one.

I know McNeil is a talented author and I’ve enjoyed her work in the past, but this was not it for me. I found it cheesy and a little lame as far as the Horror elements went.

I know this sounds harsh, but I need to be honest about my experience, and that’s honestly what I walked away feeling. This is just my opinion though, and you shouldn’t let it keep you from reading this one if you want.

The fact that this was a miss certainly won’t keep me from picking up more works from Gretchen McNeil in the future. We can’t love them all.

Thank you to the publishers, DAW and RB Media, for providing me with copies to read and review. Even though the story didn’t work for me personally, I would recommend the audiobook, which was well-narrated by Justis Bolding.

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Review: Exiles by Mason Coile

~ megs14malloy

ExilesExiles by Mason Coile
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Exiles follows a trio of astronauts, Gold, Chief and Kang, on a mission to Mars. Their goal is to prepare the 1st-ever colony on Mars for eventual human habitation.

Previously, three robots had been sent to set up the base these astronauts will be staying at for their mission. When they arrive though, they find the new base half-destroyed and one of the robots missing.

The astronauts are forced to quickly try to get their bearings and figure out what happened to the base. On an uninhabited planet, their only source for knowledge is the robots, and the things they are told are highly unsettling.

The robots seem scared, relaying things about possible dangers lurking outside, and what may have caused the damage. But it’s more than that, the robots have named themselves and have taken on surprising behaviors and characteristics. The whole thing is just off.

The astronaut crew have been handed a mess, and they need to figure out what’s going on ASAP. In an environment as unforgiving as Mars, the absolute security of their base is a life or death situation. They need to learn what threats they’re facing, so they can tackle them head on.

Mason Coile, pseudonym for Andrew Pyper, may he rest in peace, has penned a brilliant SciFi-Horror with Exiles. It is so intense, and I appreciated how the story came full circle. Coile pulled off a lot in this one with very few pages.

This book, the concepts involved, is the stuff of my nightmares. This is the type of futuristic scenario that absolutely petrifies me. Just thinking about being in the shoes of Gold, Kang, or Chief, is enough to make me shiver.

It’s not just the deep space setting, and all the unknowns involved with that for me, it’s also the robots and AI technology. That’s like a double-edged sword. Anyway you turn it, it’s dangerous with the potential to kill.

This has a phenomenal set-up. It pulls the Reader in quickly, and then just hooks you. There’s no turning back. The intensity holds throughout the story and truly feels claustrophobic and dangerous.

Some of the action, and twists, they were diabolical and brutal. I was getting so stressed, but in the best way possible. In an entertaining way. I couldn’t put it down. I refused until the very end.

Clearly, I adored this. No notes. I highly recommend this to anyone who may be searching for a compelling Horror novella, bonus points if you love SciFi-Horror.

Thank you to the publisher, G.P. Putnam’s Sons, for providing me with a copy to read and review.

Andrew Pyper, writing here as Mason Coile, was such a talented, talented writer. I’m going to miss getting new stories from him, but he’s certainly left an impact.

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Review: This is My Body by Lindsay King-Miller

~ megs14malloy

This Is My BodyThis Is My Body by Lindsay King-Miller
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is My Body is a dark and emotionally-fueled Horror novel following single-mom, Brigid, and her daughter, Dylan. When we first meet them, Dylan has gotten into an altercation at school, and it quickly becomes clear that her behavior has recently changed.

Brigid has noticed that her once fun-loving daughter has become more moody, secludes herself, and suddenly has a hair-trigger temper. Is it regular teenage rebellion though, or something more?

As the days pass and Dylan’s behavior gets more combative, Brigid can’t help but think about a circumstance that played out within her very Catholic household, featuring her zealot uncle, Father Angus.

Through past and present timelines, we learn of the situation in Brigid’s past that’s similar to the one she’s living now with Dylan. Even though she feels like she has moved on, truly escaped her past, will she be forced to return to the home she left behind in order to save Dylan?

At the start, I’ll admit, Brigid rubbed me the wrong way. I found myself asking, who is the child here? This didn’t keep me from getting sucked in though.

The more I learned about Brigid and her past, the more I started to understand her. She’s on such a journey throughout the story, and for her, the stakes, her daughter’s life, could not be higher. It gives the whole story an air of desperation that kept me flying through.

In fact, I read this entire book in one-sitting, which I haven’t done in quite some time. I found the religious and occult elements both intriguing and so well done.

Brigid also begins to explore a possible relationship with a woman from her past, Zandy, and I loved the inclusion of Zandy in the story. She was such a great side character, who provided the perfect balance to Brigid’s personality.

I would also say the past perspective, where we learn a lot about what went on in Brigid’s childhood, was just as compelling as the current perspective. I loved how the two ended up sort of merging as this raced towards the heart-pounding, stomach-dropping conclusion.

Overall, this was a great Possession story, including fantastic, absolutely toe-curling, Body Horror. Tongues, eyes, all the things, nothing was safe; just how I like it.

I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys Possession stories, or Religious Horror, as well as anyone looking for a Horror story with a Queer representation. This is the first that I’ve read from this author, and I’m looking forward to reading more from them.

Thank you, Quirk Books, for providing me with a copy to read and review. This was such a pleasant surprise!!

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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: Something I Keep Upstairs by J.D. Barker

~ megs14malloy

Something I Keep UpstairsSomething I Keep Upstairs by J.D. Barker
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

**3.5-stars**

Something I Keep Upstairs is set in the coastal New Hampshire town of Newcastle, and follows a story told by Billy Hasler.

He shares with the Reader the events that happened to him and his group of friends in the Summer he was 17, that would change the course of all of their lives.

That was the Summer before they were all supposed to head off to college, as most of us know an oft emotional and pivotal time in a young person’s life.

When his best friend, David Spivey, inherits his deceased Grandmother’s mysterious house on a nearby island, it seems the perfect spot for Summer shenanigans. As they start to spend time there with their friends though, it becomes clear that the island houses a dark past.

Things spiral out of control for the group. It becomes the stuff of nightmares, and it’s hard to trust what you’re hearing from Billy. This house is evil and it’s something that’s effected generations of people in Newcastle.

It doesn’t look like it’s stopping anytime soon either. Will Billy be able to escape its hungry grasp unscathed, or will he suffer the same fate of many before him?

For my personal tastes, Something I Keep Upstairs wasn’t a super enjoyable reading experience. My attention frequently wavered and I probably only managed to retain 1/2 of it. Nevertheless, I have to give many extra points for Barker’s fluid writing style and wild-creativity.

While this had some strong attributes, like the atmosphere and inclusion of local history/lore, a few of the concepts weren’t to my tastes. I also felt it dragged on for way too long. Coming in at just shy of 500-pages, this story felt like a monster undertaking that struggled to get off the ground.

I did love the sort of confessional Coming of Age narrative style though. I think that was a great choice by the author, and perhaps if the ‘what’ of the island captured my attention a little more, I wouldn’t have minded the length as much.

Some of the extra points also go towards the many unexpected turns of the story, which I never saw coming. However, with this being said, I did find it difficult to track some of the side characters and past events/time shifts.

At the end of the day though, I think it was merely a mismatch for my tastes. I can appreciate the skill it took to create this story, but for me, it just wasn’t a hit.

With this being said, this is purely my personal opinion based upon my reading experience. Just because I wasn’t the biggest fan, doesn’t mean you wouldn’t love it. I strongly encourage anyone who thinks it sounds interesting to give it a go. It’s absolutely worth the shot!

Thank you to the publisher, Hampton Creek Press and Recorded Books, for providing me with copies to read and review. I def plan to check out more from this author!

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Review: It Was Her House First by Cherie Priest

~ megs14malloy

It Was Her House FirstIt Was Her House First by Cherie Priest
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

**3.5-stars rounded up**

‘I suppose we get the ghosts we get,
not necessarily the ones we want.’

After Ronnie Mitchell receives an inheritance due to the tragic passing of a family member, she purchases a rundown mansion in West Seattle. With anxiety high and in need of distraction, this could be just the project she needs.

Ronnie has some carpentry experience, so feels like she’ll be able to tackle anything the house throws at her. Unfortunately, what she knows nothing about is the bloody, violent history of this particular house.

Will that come back to bite her, or can she handle that too?

It Was Her House First was a captivating read, even though somehow it wasn’t at all what I expected. I enjoyed it though very much. It reminded me a bit of The September House, so I would recommend it for fans of that book. It’s not quite as graphic, but still manages to give those vibes.

I loved our present perspective MC, Ronnie. I connected with her way of thinking and it made it extra enjoyable. She has a bit of a wry, honest sense of humor, always just laying it out there for the Reader. I loved that.

We also get different perspectives that help to fill us in on the history of the house. These perspectives are all tied to it’s heartbreaking history, and unsurprisingly, they’re still very much connected to the house and the present situation Ronnie finds herself in.

There’s a lot of mystery surrounding the house itself and the longer that Ronnie is there, the more interested she becomes in filling in that history knowledge for herself.

I appreciated Ronnie’s strength and determination when it came to the house. Unsettling things begin happening fairly quickly after she takes ownership, but she never shies away. If anything, she leans in, going further than I think a lot of people would.

She felt very brave to me. Sometimes to a level where you questioned her choices, but nevertheless, she had a goal and she was sticking to it, come hell or high water.

Overall, I feel like this one is an interesting twist on a standard haunted house tale. I enjoyed the interactions of all the various players involved in the drama, and feel like Priest pulled off a lot with this one.

Even though it is a haunted house story, it has a bit of a cozier feel. As mentioned above, I would recommend it to Readers who enjoyed The September House, but also to fans of Rachel Harrison and T. Kingfisher’s Adult Horror.

Thank you to the publisher, Poisoned Pen Press, for providing me with a copy to read and review. I’m looking forward to more from Cherie Priest!

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